It's not the book I've read, but Her Good Side is cute, fun, and addictive. Fake dating is one of my favorite comfort tropes, and Rebekah Weatherspoon had a great take on it. Bethany's voice is fairly strong and entertaining, the side characters are fun, and the banter is cute. I do wish the characters were developed more and think the plot needed some work. Still, there's something unputdownable about Rebekah Weatherspoon's debut that makes it a quick weekend read.

The book was cute! Im definitely not in my YA romance phase anymore so it was a bit immature for me but i love the representation.!

This book was adorable, even to someone in their mid 40's. I have a teenager and thought this was pretty accurate to how the times are and what some teenagers go through,

This was the story of Bethany (a plus sized black basketball player with two moms - hey! GOOD REP) and Jacob, a photographer who struggles with relationships. They end up going to homecoming together, as friends, and end up fake dating. Obviously, we know where this goes.

The representation of so many things was spot on in this book. I enjoyed the friendships, even the family members. Cute story and definitely recommend- especially to young adults!

Thanks to Netgally for a copy!

Received an eArc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Received a free LibroFM Educators Audiobook.

If you want a fun, cute, good time, this is a great book for you. Bethany is a star basketball player, who hates basketball and also just starting to have interest in boys. Jacob is a yearbook photographer who is figuring out how to handle becoming “hot” after a growth spurt and what it takes to actually be in a relationship. They end up teaming together to help each other figure out how to navigate this new territory together by fake dating.

This book covers may topics really well. Bethany is a plus size girl whose mom pushes her to put in that extra workout and cut down on her ham intake for basketball season when she likes her body as it is. She is also trying to navigate wanting a different future than her parents have for her. Jacob wants to be a famous cinematographer, but with a less than stellar grade in his videography class, he’s not sure if his dreams of getting into an awesome college program will happen. There are also some talks of physical intimacy and having good conversations about comfort levels and taking it slow when you’re not ready yet. Throughout the novel, there are some lack of communication incidents which you would expect of teenagers, but Bethany and Jacob are always supportive of each other. Would highly recommend.

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to Razorbill for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. unfortunately this was a major let down for me. From the dialogue to the reasoning behind the fake dating, everything just felt so odd. The romance was great but it wasn't enough. Also those kids needed a damn breather, relationship after relationship. I think there was an attempt to reach the younger demographic here but it was honestly painful. It's a shame because I loved seeing non stereotypical YA romance leads but I hate that this was their story.

Are the allos okay? I mean is this really what it's like being alloromantic? It sounds exhausting.

I actually enjoyed this book despite me being consistently confused by the allocishets. Do I think that there is a stupid amount of crushes and immediate dumping and getting together with someone new throughout this whole book by all the characters? Yes. I do not understand. Did I still like it? Also yes.

I really loved the fat representation and the cooking representation. I loved the soft sweet nature of Jacob and their fake dating scheme seemed almost realistic even if it ended The way every fake dating scheme ever goes.

Now my one genuine concern was that for characters who have a plethora of queer friends, I refuse to believe that none of them know about asexuality or aromanticism. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are so much better educated about queer identities and you cannot convince me that a friendship group with a non-binary friend, a sapphic relationship, and a main character with two moms can't comprehend or understand what being ace or aro meant. And there isn't actual discourse on the page but there are questionable comments about virginity and how everyone would want to be dating or hooking up etc. Those type of blanket statements are dangerous and off-putting and aren't something that benefits any sort of story.

If you could get past the overwhelming number of crushes and relationship boomerangs, this is a cute YA.

Also though this book is not queer. I suppose a book with multiple secondary queer characters could technically qualify but for me a Queer book has to have at least one queer main character or love interest and that is not the case in this book.

I also think that this book would have been a thousand times better if Bethany was aspec. I saw another reviewer mention that it would have given some context to her crying after hearing that her best friend had sex and being so hesitant towards physical contact but she's instead labeled as a late bloomer. That's fine it's whatever but I think this book would have been more dynamic with that representation.

Bethany and Jacob are planning on going to homecoming as friends only. It's only slightly awkward, he's her best friend's boyfriend (now), but she already had a date (previous boyfriend). The guy Bethany asked, turned her down flat, same with another one. Sooo, Jacob's going anyway to take pictures for yearbook...it works. But by the time the dance rolls around, Jacob's had his second break up this school year! A proposal is made-obviously, they have no clue what they are doing and need practice. They should practice together. Fake dating with rules and and end date (!) is arranged.

I loved the way the friendship developed between Jacob and Bethany. They shared more with each other than they did their friends or family members. They did a pretty good job of talking to one another about boundaries and consent. I also liked how they supported one another's activities and struggles. I am definitely buying this one for the high school.

ALERT ALERT INCREDIBLE FAT REPRESENTATION!! AND SHE'S EVEN GOOD AT SPORTS!

Well I absolutely adored this book. When I say Rebekah Weatherspoon was attentive to EVERY aspect of this story. No character was static no matter how small. The story was rich and loving and I rooted so hard for both MCs.

All the stars!

This wholesome, funny, and realistic teen romance is great for fans of You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. The characters are so sweetly awkward, and everyone cares about one another. I felt like the author really based the characters on people she knows or facets of various people, because of how well she portrayed them.

I was charmed from beginning to endand would love to see more books by Rebekah Weatherspoon!

This was such an excellent book from start to finish, and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to read this one. Thank you so much to penguin for this story I really thought the story was so cute and I loved both of the main characters and I wanted to make this book come to life I have got to see this on the big screen please make it happen

i think the first thing i need to mention is the queer rep in this book. i’ve been seeing it mentioned a lot in marketing that it’s got a queer friendship group. and that’s true. but at this point in the book both our main characters seem to identify as cishet. we do have a few lesbian side characters, including the female main character’s parents being in a sapphic relationship, and the male main character’s best friend. we also have an enby side character in a sapphic relationship. *so* do with that what you will.

do i wish our female main character was on the ace spectrum… yeah. i just personally think it would’ve given bethany a lot more depth into her previous experiences and reactions surrounding sex and sexuality. and in my mind, it would’ve given me essentially an explanation to why she literally burst out crying after hearing her friend had sex (and yes, i know it was portrayed as being apart of her personality. she cries. a lot. but i’m just saying…) but who knows, could it be something, a term, an identity, she just doesn’t know of at this point in the book. maybe.

as for the actual story, it was fine. i think their justifications for fake dating was definitely better than some i’ve seen before, for sure. but it felt as though not much happened in this story but also somehow dragged a bit in sections? it took them like 20% of the book to get to their starting point of their fake dating, fine. but that was after he was already dumped twice and she was already rejected twice. then they fake date for a while. but somehow the ending felt so rushed to me? like, i wanted it to be a bit longer, but also not really. and that, i can’t really explain. but it’s definitely an interesting phenomenon.

also, saylor felt *so* eager to set them up like a literal day after she’d broken up with him. is that not strange to anyone else?? are the cishets okay??

also also, i know jake’s father made him go through the whole tattoo healing process but as someone with multiple tattoos, his father should not have even let him get one. he’s currently a junior in this story, so was like 16 maybe 17. yeah, that’s illegal in the state of california. legal tattooing age is 18, regardless of parental permission in that state and it’s likely jake was even at least a year or more younger. i know it was just one line. but anyone with tattoos would know that an artist wouldn’t risk that, even if it's their own child. (also also also, why does jake only ever wear his parents’ company merch?)

Her Good Side is a cute romance. With two perspectives to manage the story went by pretty fast and almost felt like it was over too soon. Definitely a very sweet novel.

This book was absolutely heart-melting! It was one of most anticipated reads of this year, and Im obsessed! This is a very important topic that may concern a lot of people. I'm happy that the story is told here and the attention is focused on it. I loved Bethany and Jacob so much they were really sweet for me and I enjoyed their story. Of the minuses, it seemed to me that the book is a little slow for me and I would like more action. In general, it was a very sweet young-adult romance and perhaps I would like to re-read it and enjoy it again.

a cute and charming romcom that was delightful.

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

16 year old Bethany Greene has never had a boyfriend, let alone been kissed by a boy. When Bethany is turned down by her crush for Homecoming, and all her other options turn into dead-ends, Bethany reluctantly agrees to attend the dance with her best friend's new boyfriend, Jacob. When Saylor breaks up with Jacob unexpectedly, he starts to question if there is something wrong with him. Bethany and Jacob hatch a plan to fake date, and use one another to gain experience. But, as they spend more time together, they start to realize that their feelings may not be so fake.

I loved this way more than I originally thought I would. This was so cute and brought me such good vibes the entire time I read it. This was told in dual POV between Jacob and Bethany, which I enjoyed being in both of their heads. I loved how much both of these characters grew not only together, but as individuals as well. They both learned how to speak up for themselves, and go for what they want, rather than what people expect of them. I'm a sucker for the fake dating trope, so I was definitely intrigued to see how this was going to play out in the end. This was definitely a slow burn romance since Jacob is dating Saylor for a good chunk of the book. I love how much Jacob and Bethany cared for one another, as friends at first, but slowly becoming more. I loved the banter they had with one another. Both were so supportive of each other's hopes and dreams, and really pushed each other to reach for them. Also, big fan of Bethany's moms, they were so fun and I loved how supportive they were of Bethany and her dreams. I also loved how Bethany was a plus sized character that loved her body and embraced her curviness. She refused to let people shame her for her size or her passion when it came to food and I really liked that.

I'm definitely interested in checking out more of this author's work sometime in the near future!

This was a pretty low-stakes YA, the story seemed to have slipped through my fingers. It was over before I knew it. I just wish I liked it more.

This book was adorable! I loved it from start to finish. Every single character made me feel like I was a part of their little friend group. The author did a fantastic job of balancing out the character development when it came to writing about naive, vulnerable teens but at the same time giving them some maturity and brains. This book didn’t feel immature or “high schoolish.” The struggles were real. The drama was real. The heartbreak was definitely real!

Bethany was a phenomenal character. Strong, smart, driven but also nurturing, sassy, and witty. She knew exactly who she was and didn’t apologize for it. Being plus sized didn’t phase her. She knew she was beautiful and worthy of love. Jacob was his own kind of perfect. His character really pulled me in, which I didn’t expect. I loved how much he truly cared about Bethany and her successes.

I didn’t think I’d love a YA fake dating romance story but I sure did! I would love to see some of the side characters get their own books.

This was a super cute and sweet romance. I liked the dual POV because we could see in Jacobs and Bethany's heads what they were thinking. If you like a sweet YA contemporary with fake dating, I would recommend this one.

This was such a cute and fun YA! I loved the crushing, the fake dating, the uncertainty, the characters, the authenticity of emotions, and just how lovely it all was. An absolutely beautiful and heartwarming read, recommended for any readers of YA.

👍
+ I just loved both of these characters. Jacob who’s so thoughtful, slightly geeky, plus super talented behind the camera. And Bethany, who lives her emotions to the fullest, cares for everyone and gives herself fully to whatever who does. While I think I liked Bethany a bit more, I loved all the small and big ways Jacob showed how much he cared.
+ Both of the main characters were “late bloomers”. I was too, so I saw a lot of myself in these characters. Jacob is a little shy and says yes to most things to make others happy. Bethany is afraid of the unknown in terms of getting physical with someone. I thought that these feelings were handled very authentically. And it’s great to see this perspective in YAs.
+ The representation was quite great too. Bethany has two moms, one of her best friends is non-binary and she is fat. Her body and her weight is a part of the story and I loved the way the MC was a great example and embodiment of body positivity.
+ There were also many side characters that I loved. Both of the MCs’ friend groups are so fun, loving and supportive. They also all had distinct personalities, and I love how some situations in the book that could have caused drama in other friend groups were handled with open communication and support instead.

👎
- While I did appreciate that the MCs were late bloomers, which is not a phrase I love btw, I feel like the book also could have done more to highlight that it’s okay to wait to be sexually active when you’re ready.
- One of Bethany’s mothers does a lot of dictating of what Bethany should eat or how she should work out in the name of making her a better athlete. I didn’t feel this issue was addressed fully by the end.

Overall rating: 4.3 ⭐

Thank you so much to Razorbill, Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the eARC!

I did like this book. It shared a positive message about body positivity and there was a nice representation of an LGBQIA+ character and other diverse characters. being Asian myself, it was nice to see an Asian character.

Back in school, I was like Jacob as the awkward, nerdy one that did not really know how to interact with others. I had a very small group of friends like Bethany and her friends. Bethany and Jacob may not have came up with the idea to be together but they did make a cute couple.

While I did like them, I just never really became emotionally connected with all of the rest of the characters in this book. yet, as someone who is not the target audience of this book, I still felt like because of the positive message that it will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.