*An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Listen. I've read enough cute YA rom-com contemporaries to fill a library and this one? This nugget of Midwest-rooted job and bromantic belonging? This was something special. This was something fierce and loving and as joyful as it was hilarious. Powars is one of the new YA voices to look out for.

Noah Byrd is a sixteen year old who recently transferred schools after transitioning. He is determined to pass as a boy at all costs, so he joins the manliest club the school has to offer: The Football and Lamborghini After School Club. The club turns out to be a front for the illustrious Borrow a Boyfriend Club, a business where members take borrowers on a date for a fee. Noah thinks this is an even better opportunity to cement himself as a boy to the entire school, but he has to prove himself worthy of membership to the club’s icy president, Asher, first.

This is a super cute YA novel with queer representation that doesn’t feel performative. I have read several books where it feels like authors are trying to check a box with queer or POC characters, but this tells Noah’s story in a funny and realistic way. Noah goes through typical teenage issues like trying to fit in at a new school and dealing with romantic feelings while also highlighting trans-specific issues like feelings of self-worth and worries about being outed. Noah and Asher’s enemies-to-lovers storyline is paced well, and I like that there was something else going on (the talent show) that kept the plot moving. It made the will-they-won’t-they dynamic less frustrating. The subplot with Asher and Sebastian was not developed enough, though, especially the part where Sebastian comes to watch the talent show. I wish more time would have been dedicated to Asher working through his feelings, but otherwise I really enjoyed this. Thanks to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Page Powars for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me an eARC!

THE BORROW A BOYFRIEND CLUB tells the story of Noah, a trans teen trying to gain acceptance to his new school's exclusive "Borrow a Boyfriend Club" in order to prove to his classmates (and himself) that he's the perfect boy. After bombing his interview, the club's prickly president Asher gives Noah a second chance to prove himself. But Noah wasn't expecting to start caring about the club — or Asher — in the process.

This was a fantastic YA read — not just one of my favourites of this year but potentially one of my favourite YAs of all time. The voice and humour were so spot on, the story felt fresh and original, the characters were all so well-developed, and it truly felt like it was aimed at today's teen readers. I loved every second of it.

I highly, highly recommend this book and cannot wait for Powars' future work.

Noah just transferred to a new school. And the first thing in his to-do list is to sign up in a club that would immediately let everyone know that he's a boy. But the only option he has is the Football and Lamborghini club. But the club isn't what it seems. And it looks like it's not going to be easy to get in.

This was such a very informative book for me. It was so cool to learn what it might be like in Noah's shoes. Especially, the way he feels. I really like the journey and character development for Noah. And the romance was very realistic. I loved how emotional get funny this book can be.

The characters are amazing, and I wish I got to learn more about the minor characters. I also feels like the "loose ends" were resolved too easily.

Overall, this book was really good and I learned a lot from it and very entertaining too.

* I recieved this as an ARC

I positively loved this book! I loved the characters, the premise, and the writing! This was a super cute, super queer YA novel following a trans MC as he starts in a new school.

Noah is a boy, and he will do whatever he can to prove that at his new school. After struggling through his transition at his old school, Noah is determined for everyone at school to see him as the boy he has always been aside, To do this, he seeks to join the illustrious Borrow a Boyfriend Club, but in order to do so he has to pass a few romance tests. The tests are set by club president, Asher, who is as frustrating as he is handsome. Him and Noah begin a temutulos friendship that slowly grows into more as they play a dangerous game of love and romance.

This was a sweet romance, and a wonderful exploration of gender and self. It was also a fun and super easy to read; I finished the book in one sitting! I look forward to what Powers writes next!

For fans of the Ouraan High School Host Club manga, this book was so fun! However, I like the UK cover a lot more; this one isn't dynamic, and the palette is bland. Cute LGBTQ romance with a fun premise.

Don't be shocked when this book makes it into my favourite books of the year list, because I can already tell you it will be on there. I had the biggest gleeful expression on my face the entire time I read this book, this book just made me so happy.

Noah is trans and the book is told from his point of view and we get to see his thoughts and feelings on many life situations and how they personnally affect him and I found that so fascinated to read about. I just loved being in his head and following his journey. Noah was such an endering character and I found myself cheering him on the entire time.

Also, the romance in this one was just so sweet. Noah and Asher had never really been with anyone before, so they were both super awkward and didn't really know how to deal with their feelings and how to act and I found that so lovely to read about. I loved seeing how they bounded and all of the awkward moments that they shared. I found their romance really realistic and I absolutely loved that cause I could see my teenage self acting the same way as they did.

I also loved the entire club setting and I found it so fascinating to read about and how it influenced both Asher and Noah.

This was just such a wonderful book and I won't forget this one any time soon, this book was just so special to me.

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club was one of the most fun books I've read so far this year. While it did have just a handful of lower moments, mainly focusing around self doubt as a trans man, all around it was incredibly lighthearted and filled with trans joy!

This is the type of representation that I love to see. This book made me smile from ear to ear. I love that these voices are being seen and represented in media. Such a feel good story and I am so excited to see what else is in store from this author.

This is one of the funniest and wholesome-est books I've read in a while, I had to legit keep the book down and internally scream because it was so wholesome 😭 the story follows a trans boy as he changes his high school and tries to prove (to everyone, but also for himself) that he IS a boy by joining an exclusive club (aka the title). The new friendships he forms, the new enemies to lovers romance, the dry humor and sarcastic narration were absolutely perfect, I can't wait to reread this book!

TWs - abandonment by parents (physically and mentally), mild transphobia experienced by the MC in the past ("slip-ups" aka people misgendering him, using his dead name etc)

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced e-copy!

I loved reading this book! It was like Ouran High School Host Club meets Heartstopper. I surprised myself with how quickly I finished it.

I loved how in The Borrow a Boyfriend Club, Noah struggles with feeling like he can prove himself, something I think a lot of us can identify with. We get so caught up with "I'll feel enough when XYZ" and then we realize that it doesn't matter. We reach that point and it sometimes doesn't feel enough.

We have to do the difficult work of looking within us to find out what acceptance or feeling enough feels like for us. In the book, not only Noah, but Asher both deal with their expectations of what it will be like. I loved watching them both explore this and the romance was swoony and also I loved the challenge aspect to it. This put me in the contemporary mood!

thank you netgalley for sending me this book

i loved this book so much!! one of the best read of this year! it was both funny and lovely. the characters are well written and the chemistry beetween asher and noah is perfect

This debut is truly marvelous. I had so much fun following along with the entire cast of characters through their shenanigans, drama, heartbreak, and hope. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. Page Powars is a gift!!!

This book was a great read that I devoured. I loved the characters and the storyline. I wish I had more to read!

A delightfully heartwarming story, Borrowed Boyfriends Club gives us a protagonist to love and root for while also providing a deft depiction of a trans boy finding his place in the world. While the relationships between the kids are perfectly on point, what’s truly lovely is this is a book about a trans kid, but it’s not *about* the kid being trans. While coming out stories are important, it’s nice to see a trans student on the page without making that the entire plot. Noah has supportive parents and community- something all YA readers need to see. Such a great story- it belongs in all YA sections.

This was a very good representation of transgender teens and what they face with the coming of age. I plan to recommend this to teens who are going through similar things. Books are best when they are relatable.

This incredible coming of age story follows Noah Bryd, a trans boy who decides to join a boyfriend borrowing club to prove that he is in fact a boy. Rule number one: no real boyfriends or girlfriends allowed…but that means Noah can’t do anything about the chemistry between him and the President, Asher.

This borrowing a boyfriend club was absolute chaos but everything that Noah needed to find himself and his purpose. Noah is one of those characters that you can’t help but love even though you know he doesn’t actually put a whole lot of thought into his decisions and actions.

This book was also packed with so many hilarious moments that I found myself giggling throughout the story…thankfully I was alone.

Overall, if you’re a fan of queer teens being their messy and chaotic selves while trying to figure out life then read this amazing debut!

This book was so scrumptious. I knew just from the sk8 related dedication that it would be good. Page Powars comes from the exact same brand of fandom and humor as me and it made for a great time. I was laughing out loud many times during this. It had a romance you wanna root for paired well with the main character's story of coming to age and self acceptance. As someone whos read A LOT of average queer ya recently i can tell you this is how you do it and this is what i enjoy. I gobbled this up so much. I can't wait to read more from this author. 😩

This book has so many good elements of a YA rom-com/contemporary but with the added layer of a club that I honestly considered if I would start at my own school (even though that definitely is not the lesson of this book at ALL) and trans identity. I wanted Noah and even Asher to succeed, as well as the other members of the club, even as things are more tropey or cliche (and that’s not a bad thing). The highlight for me though was the idea of trans reclamation as Noah finds love and joy within things (dance) that felt like they had to be rejected to be truly a boy, and the element of dance particularly spoke to me. I’ve been looking forward to this book since it was first announced, and I’m happy to see what lived up to my expectations and what surprised me along the way. Definitely worth picking up for anyone keeping up with the YA genre, and for my fellow trans people trying to navigate love (in all its forms) while cementing who you truly are.