Wholesome and sweet YA novel. Kenzie Reed goes goes to Maui for a family vacation. What she isn’t expecting when she lands is to be greeted by Jacob Miller. He acts like the boyfriend that she has talked about to her family for month. Only problem is that she made him up. But Jacob was invited a surprise to her for the trip. Kenzie has questions but plays along not wanting to fess up her lies to her parents. It’s kind of a crazy scenario, especially for someone just getting ready for her senior year of high school, but it works.

Kenzie loves photography, but her parents don’t really approve. They want her to be like her older sister who is in college and planning on joining the family ophthalmologist business. For the last several months she has tried emulating her sister, focusing more on school and not getting distracted with her art. And she’s finally getting the positive feedback from her parents that she craves. The real Jake has his own reasons for being on Maui but I wont spoil his part in the story.

Becky Dean does the setting perfectly. Maui is beautiful. And if you’ve ever been there Kenzie and her family do all the things that every tourist should do. I’ve done most every sight seeing thing the family does including snorkeling and biking down Haleakala. So I found that really fun. (I had the same feelings about Dean’s previous book, Love & Other Great Expectations.) The story is all from Kenzie’s POV and I love that she expresses her thoughts and feelings to Jake without being teen drama. Jake is great at encouraging her and her artistic passion. Some of their conversations about it get repetitive but I still like their encouraging each other. Grandma is the winner as best side character and older sister too. And her parents are caring and realistic (other than inviting a boyfriend they’ve never met on vacation).

I liked the story about following your dreams. And a little romance with some sweet kisses makes this easy to recommend for middle school and up. Thank you to Random House Children’s for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.

I haven’t read a YA Romance Book since I was a YA! Knee deep in adult contemporary romances, I wasn’t sure what to expect or if I would be able to understand or relate to the characters. I am so happy that I took a chance as this novel was fantastic. Great banter, sweet and innocent moments, and just enough drama and mystery to keep your full attention. Picture Perfect Boyfriend is a wonderful transition into the YA world, for those who are interested – sharing the same magic and leaving you with that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Most people dream to have something they are passionate about. For Kenzie, her love for photography is her curse. A passion that burns bright and deep, Kenzie is forced to extinguish the flame in order to appease her family. Her “hobby” was cute but she needed to get serious. To stop the judgment in the only way she knew how, Kenzie hangs up her camera and sets her sights on following the footsteps of the family business. The icing on the cake, she is even in a committed relationship. Jake, her pretend boyfriend, may be fake but the smile on her mother’s face and her families approval is very real. What harm can a little lie do? Apparently a lot when that little lie surprises you at the airport! Off-boarding the plane in Hawaii, Kenzie is greeted by her made up boyfriend who appears to have materialized and knows everything she has ever said about him/them. Determined to find out who this imposter is without blowing up her well-crafted lie, Kenzie attempts to balance small white lies, a complete stranger, and an inquisitive family in this young adult romance mystery.

What I like about it: This was such a sweet, clean, and wholesome young adult story. Kenzie may have been a senior in high school but her struggles and realizations can be experienced at anyone’s station in life. She tried so hard to fit into a mold that was based on the experiences of her parents. I loved how much she struggled to hide who she truly was, how the inner light she had refused to be dampened, especially when Jack gave it permission to shine. The two of them together was absolutely priceless.

What I love about it: I loved the family dynamic of this book. Mom and Dad were so incredibly straightlaced that you have to wonder if Alana was who she was because she chose to be or if she didn’t stand a chance. Being the golden child, Taylor and Kenzie never thought they could be anything else. I enjoyed how much that messed with the sibling structure.

The author did a fantastic job keeping the reader engaged with the mystery behind who “Jacob” was and why he was there. While some books string you along and create frustration until they reach the great reveal, this book blended the mystery with the budding of a potential relationship and the closeness of the characters. Like Kenzie, you had to keep reminding yourself you didn’t know this guy but couldn’t help how he brought out the best in her.

The overall message I took away from this book was the downside of living for others. Kenzie was so focused on the approval of her parents that she was willing to go to college, graduate school, and work in the family business – being an optometrist against every will and desire to be a photographer. She constantly kept suppressing what made her unique, and special,. You have to wonder how many teens feel this way, trapped between what they love and what is accepted by their family. It shows the importance of building an open line of communication with your child. Yes, you may not agree with what they want and they may not appreciate the future you prefer but that is why the word “compromise” exists.

While this may have been a young adult novel, the lessons within can be applicable to anyone needing guidance in this crazy journey called life. Whether you are a teenager trying to balance who you are and who you family wants you to be, an adult dealing with imposter syndrome, or even an adult who did stay on Kenzie original path – living a life dictated by others, this book is the warm embrace and encouragement, allowing you to realize there are other options, you just have to be brave.

As the palest beach-lover you will probably ever know (seriously, I don’t tan, I just burn and then freckle…dang these Irish genes!), I am a big fan of Hawaii. Yes, I’ve only gone once, and yes, I only visited two islands, but I fell in love with the lush nature and hiking in Kauai to the point where I’ve basically been planning my long-awaited retirement since then.

Recently I read Picture-Perfect Boyfriend by the fabulous Becky Dean, and I was transported back to Hawaii! This was such a cute, fun little read with just enough snark and heart to make the YA-lover in me blissfully happy.

Let’s see what it was all about!

What I liked about the book:
1. Becky Dean writes FMCs that I genuinely love and care about. From Britt to Kenzie, I feel as though these characters are like my little sisters. I go along with their shenanigans, but at the end of the day I just want to hug them and tell them everything will work out and they should just be their lovely selves.

Speaking of which, I loved how much Jake/Jacob/Liar McLiarFace encouraged Kenzie to be herself and seek her own passions outside of what her family thought. He was the encouraging MMC we all need in a YA book boyfriend.

2. I loved our MC’s snarky/flirty back and forth throughout the entire book. It was so fun to see their conversations play out, especially as they were walking that line of needing to know enough about each other, but trying to keep their secrets to themselves.

3. I loved the mystery component of the book and how we didn’t know how the heck this Jacob guy was for a good portion of it. I found this a fun addition to the story. Who doesn’t love a good mystery!?!

4. The Hawaii descriptions were so good, I felt like I was visiting the islands again and going on the excursions with the family! I really loved this setting and the details that Becky put into describing it.

What could have been better:
1. I did not like any of the side characters besides Kenzie’s grandma. She was super fun and definitely acted as the comedic relief at a lot of tense moments.

Neil was fine I guess, but he was a super vanilla dude. I guess his best quality was that he wasn’t problematic? Is that a ringing endorsement for a character these days? Probably not, but at least he wasn’t a terrible person like most of Kenzie’s family.

2. Ok, this got really repetitive at times. I felt like Jacob and Kenzie had a lot of the same conversations, and Kenzie had a lot of the same thoughts throughout the book. There were quite a few times where I would read a chapter or two, and then come back later to read they were on a different excursion having a very similar conversation. I often thought to myself, “Am I rereading things? Did my Kindle bookmarking not work?” But, alas, no, there were just a lot of conversations that were very similar.

Final Thoughts: Cute and fun YA romance with the added benefit of Hawaii!

Final Rating: 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Becky Dean for the advanced copy of this book. The review above is reflective of my own, honest opinions.

Okay, this won me over to a certain extent—the romance took a back seat to a very necessary coming of age, and as little as I identified with the main character's problems and struggles, they were well relayed. The attraction was well written, and many of the other family characters were entertaining. But! The premise for this is insane! I'm sorry but no amount of wanting to "keep up appearances" to my very mean family would get me past this intense stranger danger. This man could be a serial killer! Only a serial killer would do this!!

Love and Other Great Expectations by Becky Dean was one of my favorite YA contemporary releases from 2022, so I was excited she was publishing another book, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend.

There are a few elements of Becky Dean’s writing that I absolutely love. First, the punny titles. I love a good pun or play on words so I adore that both of her titles are sort of punny. Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is about a girl who loves photography but whose family has decided it is not a responsible, serious career choice. Due to their disappointment, Kenzie decides to reinvent herself in the image they think is best for her, which includes creating a fake boyfriend named Jacob Miller. When her family goes on vacation to Hawaii, Jacob shows up at the airport to join them! Thus, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is such a great title for this story.

Second, I love the places Becky’s writing takes her readers. Love and Other Great Expectations explored literary locations across the United Kingdom--from London and Bath to Oxford and Scotland. Picture-Perfect Boyfriend explores the wonders and beauty of Hawaii. I’ve never really been a beach girl and while Hawaii sounds amazing, it’s not a priority on the travel bucket list. But after reading this book, I might just want to visit Hawaii after all! The aesthetics and descriptions of Hawaii are absolutely fantastic.

I also love the banter between characters, and this one is extra fun because of the fake dating trope. I need more fun, sweet and simple romances that don’t get too serious or heavy-handed but can still be enjoyable to read about. I love how cute and fluffy the relationship is between Kenzie and Jake.
Becky’s protagonists are also so funny with such interesting hobbies. I like that they come across as unique characters and not the typical, generic first person POV female protagonist that a lot of other contemporary books fall into.

In addition to these elements, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend does a great job establishing sibling relationships (realistic and heartfelt), making the fake dating trope delightful, and giving us characters who mess up and also have to deal with the consequences of their choices. I’ve read a few too many books where characters lie or do something wrong and they get away with it a little too easily. I appreciate that Kenzie gets some kind of punishment for lying to her family.

Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is another great YA contemporary romance from Becky Dean. It has all the elements of a good set-up, fun banter and amazing aesthetics, and the character arc for Kenzie is, well, perfect. I look forward to more books by Becky Dean in the future!

This is my first book by this author and it was so refreshing it is to read something that is actually appropriate for teens! Such a perfect summer read and I loved the setting of this! I loved the fun fake dating, personal growth, and just a wholesome story. I could easily recommend this to any middle or high schooler with no worries. Eager to read more by this author!

My only notes were it felt a little slow at times and I was expecting a little bit more plot but overall I still really enjoyed it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review!

This book was practically perfect in every way. Seriously. The MOST deserved five stars! Kenzie and Jake are so sweet and entertaining in themselves, and Gran is definitely my favorite character. A beautiful look at two teenagers learning what a healthy relationship should look like. Refreshing, real, and so captivating!

This romantic comedy is an absolute delight! The storyline is clean and charming, and the characters are endearing. Kenzie, the protagonist, is particularly relatable to me as I share her passion for photography. I couldn't help but feel envious of her ability to explore Hawaii and capture its beauty through her lens. It's definitely on my bucket list now!

The chemistry between Kenzie and Jacob is electric, and their witty banter had me laughing out loud. I was kept on my toes as I tried to figure out who had invited Jacob to the island and why. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the twist in the plot.

Overall, this romcom is perfect for young adults and beyond. It's a heartwarming story that will leave you feeling uplifted and content.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Picture Perfect Boyfriend!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
📸 photograph every single thing
❤️ have ever created a fake love interest
🏝️ dream of visiting Hawaii
👚 wear shirts with silly sayings

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

After Kenzie creates a fake bf to impress her parents, the last thing she expects is for him to show up during her family trip to Hawaii.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Kenzie is a photographer, to her parent’s dismay. After entering (and losing) a local photography contest, she reluctantly agrees to give it up and focus on optometry to please her parents. While attending a conference, she “meets” her boyfriend, Jacob Miller. The problem? He’s entirely fictional. But when she goes to Hawaii for a family trip, Jacob is there. Who is this imposter and why does he know everything about the fake Jacob Kenzie made up? Full of adventure and a lot of picture taking, will Jacob convince Kenzie to finally just be herself?

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a super cute, clean romcom. I enjoyed Kenzie’s character because I also love to take photos (fortunately my parents never called it a waste of time though!), and I was super jealous that she was able to explore Hawaii and take beautiful photographs! I would love to do that one day. I also just enjoyed the banter between her and Jacob and the fact that I really didn’t know who told him to show up or why he was even there. I didn’t guess correctly either. This is a great romcom for young adults and up!

Kenzie loves photography, but her parents really want her to study optometry, so she has hung up her camera and has done her best to fit into the family mold. Part of her self-reinvention has been a new boyfriend, the boy of her parents' dreams whom she claims to have met at a science conference. But Jacob Miller definitely isn't a real person, so when a guy with that name shows up to surprise Kenzie on her family's vacation, she is caught totally off-guard. Though Jake assures Kenzie they have a mutual friend, and that he has a good reason for needing to travel to Maui, she will need a lot more answers before she can even begin to trust him.

The premise of this book requires some suspension of disbelief, as I don't think most people would assume something innocent when a complete stranger ambushes them at the airport. The eventual explanation does make it feel less sketchy, but it takes a bit to get there, and the key to enjoying the story is not getting up on this detail. The rest of the story, though - Kenzie's desire to be accepted by her family and her misguided attempts to prove herself to them - feel very believable. I also enjoyed the supporting characters: Gran, Kenzie's sister Alana and her boyfriend, and Kenzie's brother Tyler.

I didn't love this book as much as the author's previous novel, Love and Other Great Expectations, but it was still a solid vacation read and would be a fun one to take to the beach this summer.

It’s a rare YA romance that I enjoy. This was unfortunately not one of them. Not so much because of the young leads, but because I couldn’t stand most of the characters.

In [book:Picture-Perfect Boyfriend], Kenzie has invented a boyfriend as part of an effort to get her parents to respect her (also: giving up her dream of becoming a photographer and instead planning to take up the family optometry business). So it’s more than a bit of a surprise when her family arrives in Hawaii for vacation and are greeted by Jacob Miller – Kenzie’s fake boyfriend – or someone claiming to be him.

For all the lies he told, Jacob – Jake – was the character I minded the least. Sure, he was deceiving Kenzie’s family, but he was doing it to help her. I suppose its not completely unrealistic for a high schooler to feel pressured to follow in her demanding parents’ footsteps, but it took far too long for her to begin to fight for herself (having to hide taking pictures on her cell phone on a family vacation? It’s not like only photographers do that…) and it wasn’t all that pleasant to be in her head while she figured it out. Kenzie’s parents and older sister, particularly her mom, were insufferable. Her younger brother, Tyler, at least had some spark.

I probably shouldn’t have picked this one up in the first place – it definitely wasn’t for me – but if young women are reading this, I wouldn’t want them to see Kenzie as someone to be emulated, even at the end.

⭐️⭐️
🌶️ They’re high schoolers and only faking their relationship for most of the book
🏄‍♀️🤿🐢🐠 🍧 At least Gran was cool with winging the vacation itinerary
📷🌱🌄🚵‍♀️ Visit Maui!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I'd been hooked by the premise of this book since I first read it on Instagram. And the story itself ended up being even more interesting than I anticipated. I couldn't put it down! Contemporary romance isn't my usual genre, but I thoroughly enjoyed this! I would love to hear how Dean first got the idea for this story.

Kenzie is a high schooler, who hopes to make a career out of photography, but her parents want her to have a stable career like her father. Kenzie’s father is an optometrist, who’s father was an optometrist and Kenzie’s sister is studying to become an optometrist. She feels the pressure to be perfect and be like her perfect older sister that Kenzie makes up a boyfriend who’s perfect in the eyes of her parents.

While arriving to Maui for the family vacation, Kenzie’s “boyfriend,” Jacob Miller shows up and surprises Kenzie. He knows every detail she has told her family about her boyfriend. He seems perfect, but who is he?!

Will Kenzie ever find out who Jacob Miller really is? Will her family find out? More importantly, will Kenzie finally come clean about her hopes to become a photographer?

This was a very cute read and parts were pretty funny. I did think this book was pretty predictable, but not in a bad way. It was very enjoyable and I was curious as to who Jacob Miller really was. I could be old school, but I did think that Kenzie was very young to be bringing a boyfriend to her trip; it felt like she should have been in college or older in that aspect, but kids are different from when I was growing up.

"I don't believe in living in fear."

Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is another steller travel romcom from Becky Dean, this time travelling to the colorful Hawaiian islands and full of fun marine biology, photography facts, and a heartfelt message that every teen needs to hear before they pick a career.

I think everyone can relate to the pressure to fit in with the crowd, to go with the flow, to not rock the boat, even at the expense of our own passions and opinions. Maybe you haven't lied and invented a boyfriend, but I know I've been quiet so that no one is upset by my conflicting thoughts, or I've accepted roles and responsibilities I knew didn't fit me just to make someone happy.

"What makes each person beautiful is that no one else is like them. So why are you trying to be someone you aren’t instead of being the unique you that you are? The one that only occurs once in history and is meant to do things that no one else ever could?”

People pleasing. The fear of rejection. The desire for acceptance. That is what is at the heart of Picture-Perfect Boyfriend, and regardless of the shenagins that ensue, that message rings true. Even at 32 years old, I need to be reminded that God made me ME on purpose, and there are more blessings in pursuing my calling and passions than in trying to appease others (family, friends, culture, etc.)

“You don’t have to be a professional to call yourself a photographer,” the man said. “If you like to take pictures, I say, claim the title. None of that ‘aspiring’ stuff. I’m hardly a pro. But I am a photographer.”

Aside from the message and themes, I love how Becky Dean really brings you into a location in a way that makes it stick! She had me googling pictures of Hawaii and wanting to see all the spots Kenzie and Jake visit because they sounded beautiful and magical. This story really highlights the beauty and gift of nature.

And the characters were great too! Each one was quirky but in a very relatable way. I come from a family of nerds, so I related to Kenzie as the outsider artist, but it was fun to see each of her family members fleshed out into unique individuals, not just uniformed members of a single pack, as the story went on.

Plus the subplot with Jake...I mean Jacob...was extra fun! I was on the edge of my seat demanding answers from the very first chapter, and it was great to get to discover all of his secrets along the way.

With a touching message of following your passions and being your authentic self, and a humorous but vibrant vacation filled with mystery and romance, Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is definitely a book you are going to want for your summer reading!

I LOVED Picture Perfect Boyfriend! Contemporary Romance isn't usually my go-to genere, but Becky Dean has a beautiful way of making you get lost in her stories and making her characters super relatable! Reading this book, you will definitely feel lost in the beautiful world of Hawaii and feel like you are along for the ride of all Kenzie's adventures! I love that it's such a sweet, clean romance, too! I would recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone looking for an escape or adventure!
I loved reading the e-ARC of this book through NetGalley and am so excited to get my own copy when it's released!

Becky Dean's debut novel, Love & Other Great Expectations, was such an unexpected gem of a YA novel and so I was beyond excited to read her next book. Picture-Perfect Boyfriend is a standalone YA, fake-dating romance with a dash of mystery (re: our love interest's true identity and motives). It's very fun, cute and, dare I say, a little quirky -- which made me fall even more in love with this one. Dean uses such compelling, first-person language that pulls me in and makes me not want to put down this read.

While I've found several authors have, like a "sophomore slump" with their second books, Dean disproves that tenfold because I enjoyed Picture-Perfect Boyfriend basically the same as Love & Other Great Expectations -- and that's a win! Love it.

The blurb had me requesting this one on NG and it was quite unique - imagine making up a fake boyfriend in a scheme to reassure your parents that you've changed for the 'better' and he shows up to meet you on your family vacation 😂 and no it's not a fantasy book, it's a YA romcom and there's a reason lol.

Kenzie has always loved photography and unlike her siblings who are well-organized, she's more impulsive, easily distracted and can wander away for hours at a time while trying to capture the perfect pic. And her parents think that this isn't a viable career option and would rather she work in their family-run optometry business. After a few bad experiences and a failed competition, Kenzie decides to reinvent herself by becoming the 'perfect' daughter who loves optometry and has a 'boyfriend' - Jake(one that her parents approve of). When she and her family go on a vacation to Hawaii, she's shocked when her fake(/imaginary) bf shows up at the airport to greet them and he seems to know many of the details that she'd made up about their relationship. As she plays along in a bid to find out his agenda while trying not to disappoint her family, she's surprised to find herself falling for him especially when he's the one who sees the real her and encourages her to follow her passion!

It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did it was so enjoyable - and I loved the second half more! Though it was easy to dislike Kenzie's family at first, I found them to be well developed characters by the end and I could see why they behaved the way they did. I loved her Gran the most! And her brother - Tyler was pretty smart and hilarious! Kenzie's sister - Alana was the opposite of her, but she's actually supportive and protective of her in the end. And it was cute to see Kenzie's relationship development with Jake too! I loved how he pushed her to be herself and helped her get past her fears, while she also helped him navigate his family struggles!

I'd have loved to see more about his family and their interactions too, but the book's focus is on Kenzie and her character development - so I was pretty satisfied with that! At first, I didn't understand why Kenzie was so set on being a completely different person when it was making her so unhappy, but as we get to know more about her, we can see how her family dynamics and the fear of failure, made her think this way. So I loved watching her grow and face her fears. There were many hilarious moments throughout the story and the conclusion was pretty satisfactory too!
In the end, this was a cute YA romcom with an interesting spin on fake dating(one of my fave tropes if you must know😆) that I enjoyed reading and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author soon!❣️✨

Such a fun and goofy read! But at the same time so romantic and swoon worthy!! The characters are utterly adorable, how can you not fall in love with them as they fall in love! I coincidentally read this over my spring break and it was filled with good times all around!
@rachelbookclub

Picture-Perfect Boyfriend by Becky Dean is a sweet rom-com with fake boyfriends and warm summer breezes.

This book was such a cute story. A fun and sunny YA romance with laughable moments and salty sea air.
What a delightful read! It was fun, full of adventure and had great banter.
I thought it was a sweet and fun YA romance with delightful characters and a charming plot.
The characters are enjoyable and I loved following Kenzie and Jacob’s journey that set in beautiful atmosphere. Hawaii.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Delacorte Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was such an adorable YA romcom. Fast paced, feel good story with fake dating, humor and summertime vibes.

Kenzie loves photography, but her family of optometrists don't take her love seriously. They are always pointing out the ways Kenzie is different from them...always daydreaming, always late because she's looking at nature, always taking pictures and would rather be exploring instead of working for the family business. So, she puts her dreams aside and pretends to be just like them ...totally into optometry and she even makes up a fake boring boyfriend, Jacob.

Everything goes great for months, until the family takes a trip to Hawaii and as the plane lands, who should appear but 'Jacob'. Not only does Kenzie have to deal with fake dating and all her lies while with her family, but she also has to find out who this Jacob is, who invited him and how he knows about every lie shes told. Oh and not fall for him in the process.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.