This story was fun and sweet. The text was a bit tell versus show at times, but not necessarily to its detriment. I liked the characters (especially Bean, seriously) and the story as well. I had some secondhand embarrassment at the catfish stuff but I carried on and was rewarded with a sweet story.

Kasie West has my heart. Her stories are some of my favorite ya books. Catfishing is such a relatable topic and I like the way it was handled in this story.

I did not enjoy this book. The story revolves around Wren who makes a lot of rules for herself in response to her flighty mother who left when Wren was ten. The novel opens that while Wren hanging out with her friend Kamala, she overhears a conversation between two boys regarding a meeting with a girl one of the boys met online. She quickly deduces that he is being catfished and so she decides to try to help him save face in front of his friend. She ends up starting to like this boy, Asher, and they begin to hang out. Of course, there must be an appearance by the flighty mother and a complication, but these two end up working it out in the end, nice and tidy. This book was filled with almost every YA trope and even that was not done well.

I loved Kasie West’s first few books, but the last few have just been so so for me. This one reminded me of why I always pick up her books. Such a cute story!

Wren sees Asher getting bullied by his friend in a coffee shop because he’s getting stood up by an online crush. So, Wren impulsively decides to pretend to be the girl to save Asher from the humiliation. And thus ensues a story about romance, a dog shelter, and lies. Yep, lots of lying. The fake dating trope is only good when both parties know it’s fake, and the lying here lasted way too long. The story would’ve been good without the lying. Wren’s family and her friends and her work at the dog shelter were all good, but the lying ruined it. She could’ve come clean with Asher earlier and the rest of the story still could’ve happened. Instead Kasie West chose to make readers uncomfortable for too long, then reveal the lie to have everything be okay, to only then bring up a last act conflict that’s very quickly forgiven. I’ve liked other West books, and there were parts of this one that were good, but the lying really killed the story for me.

Borrow My Heart was an adorable take on mistaken identity with a techno-twist. In an attempt to save a boy being mercilessly teased by his friend, Wren pretends to be the girl that Asher has been communicating with online. Wren has a specific set of rules to protect her heart, but she finds she keeps breaking them when it comes to Asher. We also meet Wren's dependable father, sister, and flaky mom.

Kasie West takes on an emotional journey as Wren navigates her life, which includes coming clean with Asher that she isn't actually the girl he was talking to online. It turns out, though, that Asher was keeping secrets, too.

This is a no-brainer addition to a high school library, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to an 8th grader.

#BorrowMyHeart #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Borrow My Heart by Kasie West is about Wren. She overhears friends giving grief to another friend, Asher, after he is being catfished. Wren jumps in to save the day and pretends that she is Asher's online crush. As she gets to know Asher more, she starts to develop feelings for him. She breaks out of the shell she has built. Asher also helps Wren at an animal shelter.

I do enjoy Kasie West's books. However, this book missed the mark for me. A lot of the book is built around deception, and I couldn't get into it. I will still look forward to the next book by this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a refreshing new take on catfishing stories. I loved the characters and the sweet romance in the story.

This was so sweet and touching, I truly enjoyed it and will seek out more books by this author. I normally think it's a bad idea to use current technology as a plot device because it won't make sense once that tech becomes irrelevant, but I understand the necessity here, and hope that future readers will be able to suss it out via contextual clues.

I cannot wait to share this title with my middle schoolers who love romance books! Kasie West is an author that my students just cannot get enough of!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Kasie West writes the cutest stories! I love her other books so Borrow My Heart was one that I had to read ASAP! I was so glad I read this novel, all in one day, as the characters really related to me. The horrible thing about the online time we live in is that anyone on the internet may not be who they say they are and with love that can really burn. When the FMC steps up for her love interest I was swooning.

Kasie West has done it again! "Borrow My Heart" is my new favorite by her. Sweet, romantic, quick read. Loved it!

Wren and Asher are a cute, fluffy rom-com couple. Katie West writes a sweet story of falling in love and self-acceptance. Borrow My Heart is a middle grade appropriate (aka no vulgar language or open door scenes) but is strong enough to hold the attention of an older demographic as well. Dog-lovers will definitely have a soft spot for this book and the characters. Overall a cute story that offers a nice reminder - especially for young people today - that online life isn't "real" life and people are always more important than screens.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Kasie West! I have her books all in my classroom library! Thanks to this my students love her too! West's newest novel is another I know my students will love!

This was a cute, fluffy rom com. If you like Kasie West’s other YA romances, you are sure to like this one as well.

Wow wow wow. Kasie West has outdone herself! I really loved this novel. I completely devoured it in one day, surprising me. It was very compelling, and reading through Wren was like looking in the mirror. Gave me some self-realization, seriously.
I wish it were longer. I loved the family dynamics and the scene where the three of them hugged literally had me in tears.
The humor was refreshing and real, and the language they all used felt authentic.
I already have a student that cannot wait to have a copy next June!

Cute middle grade story about family, finding love and TikTok. Love the awareness around adopting animals from shelters. Didn’t really understand the conflicts happening within the story.

Kasie West has done it again! This story about Wren and Asher is so sweet! When Wren over hears two boys talking in a coffee shop, waiting to meet a date from online that clearly wasn’t going to show up, she decides to step in, saving Asher from embarrassment! Will Wren break her dating rules to be with Asher? Can Asher knock down her walls and get her to trust!? Read this books now to find out!! Thank you NetGalley for providing with an ARC to read and review!

I have long been a fan of Kasie West. I often recommend her books to the students that come into my middle school library. Sometimes they will say that they don’t like romance books and I will tell them that is good because Kasie West books aren’t “romance” books they are “real-life” books. Borrow My Heart is a real-life book. I appreciate that Mrs. West isn’t afraid to have her characters deal with some hard topics. In Borrow My Heart, Wren’s mother has abandoned her family and it has caused Wren to develop rules for her relationships with people. These rules make her feel safe and in control. Then Wren meets Asher when he comes into the coffee shop where her best friend, Kamala, works. Wren suspects that Asher is being cat-fished and feels sorry for him and decides to pretend to be the girl he is supposed to be meeting. As Wren and Asher get to know each other, she learns to let some of her walls come down that she had built after her mom left. I won’t tell how it ends, but I thoroughly enjoyed Wren and Asher’s interactions with each other and Bean (a loveable but quirky dog they are trying to help place in an adopted home). I love the themes of honesty, being careful what you post online, and how being vulnerable with others isn’t always a bad thing.