I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

A great easy summer YA read. The parents were quite a bit overbearing. It was a little on the cheesy side but I think a younger YA audience would enjoy this one.

This book was so fun and cute! I absolutely loved the setting, the characters and all the mayhem that was scattered throughout.
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As fun as this book was there were parts that had me stressing, the fake dating was definitely strong in this one. I loved Kenzie an dJake together and thought they brought out the best in each other and encouraged character growth fr each other. I loved kenzies family so much, especially her fun and spunky grandma.
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overall this book was so much fun and the perfect summer read.

IM SORRY BUT I HATED IT, THE CHARACTERS THE WRITING IT WAS LIKE READING THE DIARY OF A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD WHO A LOT OF POTENTIAL “BOYFRIENDS ” WHAT THE HECK DID I READ

"Two strangers, one tropical island, and lots of lies."

Let's be real, the cover art on this one was a FAIL. Despite that, I thought the premise was cute, if not a little far-fetched. It turned out to be a cute read, despite the characters reading a little young. I would definitely recommend this one.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The fake boyfriend trope is one of my favorite ones in romance, just behind enemies-to-lovers, and I love that this book pulled in a bit of "enemies to lovers" with the fake boyfriend aspect of it since the main character wasn't expecting this fake boyfriend and had no idea what he was up to. The romance was well-paced as a slow burn, and I appreciated the attention paid to family dynamics and the way family doesn't always really "see" us as we are or as we want to be seen and appreciated. Very satisfying read with a sweet ending.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

What a cute YA Rom Com.
Kenzie Reed is the main character on spring break with her family on the beautiful island of Maui. Kenzie tells her family she wants to pursue a career in photography but her family has other plans They want her to work at the familys optometry business. Kenzie decides to work at the family business because she doesn't not want to disappoint her parents. She also makes up a boyfriend but then he actually shows up in Hawaii.

Who is this man? Where did he come from?

We all want to know more.

Fun summer romp in paradise. Interesting take on the lying trope, although there were a lot of characters lying to protect themselves and what they wanted to to most in life. The setting of Hawaii was written beautifully, making me want to travel there some day! Lesson to be learned; lying doesn't get you anywhere except trouble, where everything blows up in your face. Sweet building of a love story built on a few fibs. Follow your dream, not what your parents want You'll be happier in the end.

While I didn't enjoy this one as much as the author's first book. I did enjoy following Kenzie to Hawaii and watching her grow and change. As well as finding who she is and having the courage to tell her parents who she really wants to be.

Kenzie Reed loves nature photography; some might even say she is obsessed. Her parents don’t see this as an option for a career and want her to join the family business. Kenzie really wants to please her parents and have their approval like her older sister does, so she makes up a fake boyfriend, Jacob. The problems start when fake Jacob arrives in Hawaii to join the family on their vacation. Kenzie is left wondering who he really is and how he knows all the information she made up about him! As she tries to unravel the mystery, she learns a lot about herself and that as much as she wants to please her parents, she needs to be true to her dreams for the future. I really enjoyed this book by Becky Dean and highly recommend it for middle school and high school. I appreciate that Dean provides entertaining and clean (no bad language and no sexual content) books that I am comfortable adding to my middle school library.

This has a fun fake-dating romance. Kenzie has been talking about Jacob since she attended a conference for young adults interested in medicine. When Jacob shows up as a surprise for her family's Hawaii vacation, she is truly surprised as Jacob doesn't exist. She made up a fake boyfriend. As the vacation goes on, what started as fake becomes real and causes more chaos than expected. It was a fun read.

This was an adorable YA beach read. I typically don’t read YA, but I found this to be very sweet and fun. Who doesn’t love a fake dating scenario! The scene setting in Hawaii made me want to book a flight immediately. Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

This is such an adorable story! I will eat up and YA fake dating because it never fails!

Becky Dean’s sophomore novel, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend, is packed with intrigue from start to finish. From the ending of the first chapter, it hooked me.

Faking it for the Fam
All Kenzie Reed wants to do is immerse herself in nature with a camera around her neck. She’s put in the work—she’s done her research about photography and the nature she wants to capture. And yet, her steady, dependable family of optometrists still believe that she’s wasting her time. Finally worn down by the pressure, Kenzie agrees to become what her parents want: a responsible future optimist. To complete the picture, she invents a fake boyfriend, Jacob.

At least, she thought she invented him… until her family arrives in Hawaii for spring break, and who should greet them at the airport but Jacob himself! After this point, I couldn’t put the book down. A mystery man who knows everything about fake Jacob, but whom Kenzie really knows nothing about? Who could resist?!

As Kenzie and Jacob spend more time together, he refuses to share his secrets. However, he is nothing like the fake Jacob she created. He’s funny, clever, and he encourages her to pursue her passion with reckless abandon. If they really knew him, her parents would NOT approve. Which is totally fine, because they can’t be together for real. At the end of the trip, they’ll “pretend” to break-up and go their separate ways… right?

A Real Romance?
Except that Kenzie doesn’t want to break up with him anymore. In fact, she’s struggling to imagine life without him. How can she just say goodbye? But if they want to start dating for real, then she needs to tell her family the truth—and risk their inevitable, devastating judgment.

Kenzie’s story is deeply relatable for anyone who’s ever struggled with meeting parental expectations. Kenzie deeply loves her parents, so she hates to disappoint them. And yet… the more she leans in to her lies, the more she feels like she’s losing herself. Does she really want to pretend that she is something she’s not just to make her parents happy? I’ve asked myself the same question. Why can’t her parents just love her for who she is? I’ve asked myself that too! As someone with similar experiences, Kenzie’s emotions felt authentic. The story took a feeling that many of us struggle with and took it to the extreme–seeing a live, breathing manifestation of your lies right in front of you–with hilarious results.

As for Kenzie and Jack, I loved watching their relationship deepen as they got to know each other over the course of the story. It’s the fake dating trope at its best!

If you love Hawaiian destinations, dysfunctional families, and the fake dating trope, allow yourself to be sucked into Picture-Perfect Boyfriend. I recommend you read it on the beach, or poolside, at the very least.

a cute and beachy romcom that was delightful.

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

The weight of parental expectations can be a load to bear. High school senior Kenzie Reed is no stranger to changing the very essence of who she is to please her mom and dad. "Give up my dream of becoming a professional nature photographer to instead join the family ophthalmology practice because that's what is expected of me? Sure thing!" So, it's no surprise that Kenzie also creates a fake boyfriend to fit better into her buttoned-up, by-the-book family. Kenzie's fake boyfriend, Jacob, is exactly who her parents would want her date - boring, traditional ... and also interested in ophthalmology.

Kenzie never plans on her family actually meeting Jacob - maybe because he doesn't really exist - so when he shows up at the airport on their vacation to Hawaii, Kenzie is floored. How is "her Jacob" here in the flesh? How is a guy exactly like the one she dreamed up standing right before her? Naturally, Kenzie can't give up the ruse and let her family know that THIS Jacob is a complete stranger to her - she just can't lose face in front of them - so like so many things in her life, she just goes along with it.

As Kenzie gets to know Jacob over the week in wonderful, majestic Hawaii, she begins to realize she has feelings for the real guy hiding beneath the one she created. Jacob encourages Kenzie to be true to herself in a good way, pushing her to pursue her passions and tell her parents the truth about what she really wants for her future. Just who is this "real" Jacob who seems to be perfect for the "real" Kenzie? And will Kenzie be brave enough to go for what she wants?

Becky Dean's picturesque Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is a lovely, wholesome destination-themed romance for the young adult crowd. More a coming-of-age novel than anything, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend delves into the topics of self-discovery and being true to one's self, despite the expectations of others. It is about pursuing your passion and not making yourself small in order to fit into someone else's ideal world. Light on the romance, heavy on the teenage angst, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend will resonate with teens setting forth and finding their way in the world.

This was a fun YA summer read, with a cute romance and fun characters! I liked how the main characters family played such a big role, and I liked the plot. Overall, I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Super fun read! I always love a good fake dating trope, and this one was delightfully done. I also loved that Kenzie was a photographer. I totally related to all of the lines about how she would spend so much time figuring out how she would hypothetically take a picture, as well as the parts where she's actually taking pictures. Overall I have no complaints!

I wasn’t a huge fan of this story. It was a bit too cheesy for me. I appreciated how creative it was though. I thought that a fake boyfriend that wasn’t even supposed to exist randomly showing up in Hawaii to meet his “girlfriend” was really interesting. Lots of mystery here, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Hawaii !!! Need to go there after reading this book. Brilliantly described tropical world!

Kenzie is an aspiring photographer however she let's go of her dream to impress her parents by being more like her elder sister Alana and getting into the family business of optometry. In all this she comes up with an imaginary boyfriend Jacob Miller.

A shock awaits her in Hawaii where they go for the spring break. A shock in the form of Jacob Miller himself. Surprise! Surprise! Moreover, she can't reveal this without confessing her lies.
The nick names given at the start of the book were funny.

“Life is too short not to enjoy dessert, Kenzie. Do what makes you happy. Chase your dreams. Right now my dream is lots of sugary ice.”

This was relatable with peer pressure or trying to fit in crowd and accepting things we were not okay with.

You are in a treat of self-discovery, chasing dreams, accepting we deserve what we like, are unique in our own way and not to let others decide our future and happiness for us.

"Palm trees became dark silhouettes against a twilight sky."

The entire book is picturesque. I loved the descriptions of places, scenes, it was all so vibrant. This book, story of Kenzie and Jacob was heartfelt. I enjoyed it, the msytery, romance and chemistry. It was too good and adventurous and fun!!

"I love the idea that beautiful moments are just that—moments. They exist perfectly in that second, in your memory and nowhere else. But a photo lets you save it and share it, even though it’s not complete, since pictures can’t capture everything."

I highly recommend this to everyone.