I was so excited to get this arc as a huge KL Walther fan! The cover and sprayed edges are also stunning. This was classic KL Walther YA goodness and I ate it up. Aubrey was a bit of a mess but in an endearing, teenage way. Aren’t we all messy at that age? I loveeee fake dating, so that was so fun! Henry is a gem. I loved them so much and her journey of self discovery was so relatable at that age.

3.25 ⭐️
I really enjoy KL Walther’s writing but this one was only okay. This book is pretty stressful to read because it’s a whole lot of the main character Audrey making very obviously horrible decisions and as the reader you’re kind of just waiting for it all to crash and burn. The resolution to the main plot line is flat and feels rushed.

I thought the dynamic between Audrey and Henry was cute and had a lot of potential but I didn’t love the way it panned out. Audrey’s feelings for Henry seem to flip very quickly and she is very all in immediately. Meanwhile Henry is so closed off that the reader isn’t really sure how he feels until near the end.

I do think this book has its moments and is a nice light read. Lovers of fake dating will find the usual beats they look for with this trope. I also enjoyed all the cameos from past characters of KL Walther.

Okay, so I have to start by saying that fake relationship romances are my absolute weakness. If I see that trope in a book, I am instantly sold. That was the case here, and I could not wait to dive in. It gave me all the giddy feels right from the first chapter, and I knew I was in for a good time.

Another thing that totally hooked me was the glass art part of the story. It immediately took me back to Born in Fire by Nora Roberts, which is one of my all-time favorite reads. That book made glass blowing seem so fascinating, and this one brought that same vibe. The main character here is still learning, but that actually made it feel fresh and even more interesting.

The story grabbed me right away and I kept telling myself I would stop after one more chapter, but you already know how that goes. What I really enjoyed was that the love story was not the only focus. The main conflict of the book mattered just as much, and watching the characters deal with it together made their romance feel way more real.
I also fell in love with the side characters. They were not just background filler, they had their own spark that made me want to know more about them. After a little snooping, I found out some of them show up in other books by the author. That is definitely going on my reading list.

By the end, I was honestly sad it was over. That is always the sign of a great read for me. I already know I will be picking up more of this author’s books once I knock out a few from my ever-growing TBR pile.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

K.L. Walther did it again. Now I will say this book STRESSED ME OUT.

Audrey moved to Connecticut in the middle of high school. She made a few friends, blew glass, and most importantly, she followed the rules. Audrey was in her final semester of high school and had gotten into a prestigious glass-blowing fellowship. With her parents encouraging her to keep glass-blowing as a hobby and go to college, Audrey decided she was going to ditch all the rules.

From fake-dating to renting out her parents' mansion, we watch Audrey make lifelong memories and, of course, mistakes that could ruin all her dreams.

We’re a Bad Idea, Right? is a super fun and chill story about Audrey and Henry, best friends who fake date to fix their problems. Audrey’s done with her parents controlling everything and just wants to chase her dream of glassblowing. Henry’s trying to get his ex back.
Things get pretty wild when Audrey rents out her family’s mansion to pay for her fellowship, and their fake relationship gets way more complicated than they expected. It’s full of funny moments, awkward situations, and some real feels too.
If you like friends-to-lovers stories with lots of laughs and a bit of drama, this one’s definitely worth checking out.
Thank you netgalley for an arc of We're a Bad Idea, Right? by K.L. Walther

K.L. Walther’s upcoming YA romance, We're a Bad Idea, Right?, is a witty and heartfelt exploration of friendship, identity, and the chaos of growing up. The story centers on Audrey Barbour, a high-achieving teen who’s tired of living by everyone else’s expectations. When her best friend Henry suggests a fake-dating scheme to win back his ex, Audrey sees it as a chance to break free and take control of her life.

As their plan spirals into a series of increasingly risky decisions—including renting out Audrey’s family mansion to fund her dream of studying glassblowing—their fake relationship begins to blur into something real. The novel balances humor, romantic tension, and emotional growth, with Audrey and Henry’s chemistry shining through every page.

Perfect for fans of fake-dating tropes, quirky side characters, and stories about self-discovery, this novel promises to be a swoony, fun, and empowering read.

*We’re a Bad Idea, Right?* by K. L. Walther is such a fun, heartfelt read that completely swept me up. The characters feel so genuine, and their banter and chemistry made me smile the whole way through. It has that perfect mix of lighthearted charm and deeper emotion, making it both entertaining and relatable. Walther captures the ups and downs of love and connection in a way that feels effortless, and it left me feeling warm and satisfied when I finished.
I loved her last book too!

I've never read a book by K.L. Walther, but after reading We're a Bad Idea, Right? in a day, they've got a new fan. This book is filled with pop culture references – from Old Hollywood and film facts galore, to current day references like Tayvis and Olivia Rodrigo. It makes sense for its YA audience. This book was really sweet – I loved the friendship between Audrey and Henry, and their scheme to make back some money for Audrey to be able to pursue her dream of going to school for a year in the Blue Ridge Mountains to become a better glassblower. It's a really easy read that flows well. I only wish that there had been some consequences to some of Audrey's actions in the book, but aside from that, I'll definitely be recommending it to everyone!

K.L. Walther delivers another engaging romance in We’re a Bad Idea, Right? that beautifully balances humor with just the right amount of teenage angst. The chemistry between Henry and Audrey is undeniable—the push and pull of their relationship feels authentic, making the payoff that much sweeter. Walther’s writing shines in the banter, the tender moments, and the way she captures that mix of vulnerability and excitement that comes with new love.

The story sometimes feels overcrowded with characters, making it difficult to keep track of everyone. I occasionally lost track of who was who because of the big cast.

However, We’re a Bad Idea, Right? proves that sometimes the best “bad ideas” are the ones worth taking a chance on.

Omg this is probably my favorite kl.walter book immediately book this up when its out i love every moment this feel so cozy and atmospheric I love this author

This was such a fun book! I was so excited to read it because I love the author and she did not disappoint. This was a fun, quick, romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved how this book was so much different than other contemporary, fake-dating books I have read. Now, it is highly unlikely a plan like the one that happens in this book would work, but I enjoyed reading about it. It felt very modern and different than other books. Having an AirBNB and a glassblowing aspect was very different than other books. I got to learn so much about glass blowing, which was interesting. There were some parts of the book where at first I didn't realize were a flashback seen, but I quickly could figure it out. That just made it a bit confusing at times.

I also enjoyed all of the characters. We got to learn so much about so many characters, but it did not feel overwhelming and all of them played an important part. There were some characters that felt thrown in, such as the improv friends, but it did not bother me that much. I liked the growth that most of the characters went through as well. Having the ex-girlfriend still in the picture was a fun twist, although I'm not sure she is still over her ex! It was interesting how we learned so much about characters who were not very present, such as the main character's parents.

The only part I did not really care for is the ending where a certain couple breaks up and then gets back together. I know that is a stereotypical challenge and ending to one of these books, but it felt unnecessary for this storyline. There were enough challenges the characters faced throughout the book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to contemporary and romance lovers that are looking for a fun and different read!

Is there anything K.L. Walther cant write?! This was incredible. Henry and Audrey are the perfect pairing! James and Isa from my all time favorite book make an appearance which had me gasping so loud that my dog got scared. The romcom lover in me saw this entire book as a movie in my head and I enjoyed every minute of it. Young love and teenage turmoil are always the perfect mix. Feels so nostalgic and dreamy. All the best parts of growing up and some of the not so great parts that you are glad happened because they taught you who you are.

As expected from K. L. Walther, this book was an absolute treat! I loved that each character is given so much thought and attention! And it was fun to follow along with the main character, Audrey, as she navigates her glass blowing business, boys, and a risky plan to help pay for the tuition funds she needs to attend a fellowship she was accepted into! Any of those things would be hard to do on her own, but Audrey's friends show up for her in the best ways. And her friendship with her best friend, Henry, was so sweet! Trying not to give any spoilers, but this is a great book to read for an all-around happy, fun time!

A cute and cozy friends-to-lovers, fake-dating, young adult read. 💕

Audrey Barbour is a unique, bright, interesting high school senior, and has a passion for the art of glass-blowing. However her wealthy parents, believe she is destined for business school and see her glass blowing as nothing more than a hobby. She is determined to go to a prestigious school for glass blowing in which she has garnered a spot, but how can she make that happen when she needs to come up with the tuition on her own? She'll have to figure it out, and fast.

Henry Chen is Audrey's best friend and business partner for her Etsy shop selling her glass blown creations, and is determined to help Audrey in the business of renting out the guest home on her property while her parents are away on vacation in an effort to help her make the tuition she needs to go to the school of her dreams.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Henry Chen, has recently been dumped by whom he believes to be is the love of his life, Ellie. In an effort to get his ex back, he proposes a fake dating scheme to have his BFF Audrey help him make Ellie jealous to get her back, which would also allow Audrey to gain the attention of her love interest, Griffin Keeler. Of course, as tends to happen, the two develop feelings along the way.

The romance plot of this book is very will-they/won't-they, and it's a solo point of view (Audrey) so the reader is left waiting to find out if/when Henry may reciprocate Audrey's growing feelings. The description of characters is really well done so that you have a distinct understanding of the different roles Audrey and Henry's friendship group play throughout the book.

Minimal spice, young teenagers in high school, promposals, and after-school jobs all with a crazy scheme and romantic subplots. Overall I would give this 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 stars because I think this felt more young adult and would be a really great read for one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

#WereaBadIdeaRight #NetGalley

K.L. Walther did it again. I have not read one bad book from this author. This book is an absolutely wonderful funny romance. I inhaled this book in 2 days and became so invested in the characters. The writing was so good that I felt like I was actually in the book.

Reviewed for NetGalley:


Audrey and Henry—best friends—embark on a scheme to fake-date each other in hopes of boosting their romantic appeal to others. But they may just end of finding appeal in each other.

Throw in renting out Audrey's family mansion as an Airbnb for extra cash, so Audrey can fulfill her dream of nixing college, and training in the arts, for some fun hijinks.

Overall cute, but had a hard time relating the Audrey's family wealth and world.

Another cute K.L. Walther book! I really enjoyed this one and the characters. I loved the will they/won't they between the characters and Audrey's desire to be a glassblower.

This is my third K.L. Walther book, and this is up there with The Summer of Broken Rules!

It is a young adult fiction - friends to lovers trope. Audrey is a high achieving student academically and also in her hobby - glassblowing. Not only does she get into UPenn for business, but also into a fellowship for glassblowing.

Audrey’s best friend Henry just got dumped, and now he wants to make his ex jealous asking Audrey to take the leap and fake date him. While fake dating; Audrey’s parents go out of town, and she needs to find a way to pay off tuition for her fellowship, which she does so while renting out her home.

The story is full of bad ideas, and life lessons learned.

I rated it 4 stars, it’s very cutesy and fun!

Audrey Barbor has always been the person to try her best to succeed and please her parents. Studying for tests, answering every extra credit question, and always trying to get into the college her parents wanted her to be in. Except whatever she did never felt enough for her. She found a passion she liked and felt like she could fufill something with it. Except no one supported her. Her parents thought it would get in the way of her academic life while she thought it would help take some of the stress away. There was one person who did believe in her. Cue Henry. Henry is Audrey’s life long best friend and while he wants her to focus on school he is also her number one fan when it comes to her hobbies. So it makes sense for these two life long best friends to start dating right? No one would question it since the tension just had to be brewing for a while. So when Henry and Audrey make up the plan to fake date to get Henry’s ex girlfriend back Audrey starts worrying about something she never had to before. Catching feelings. Now she doesn’t have any guard rails or expectations to live up to, which only leaves her to focus on the fact that maybe her feelings had been brewing for a while.

K.L. Walther did it again with a fun and easy to read romcom. I think I read this in less than 24 hours.

I love the fake dating trope and thought it was well executed in this book. It was fun that Audrey was fake dating her best friend, usually the books I read with this trope have the fake dating between people who aren’t particularly close with each other so this was a fun change (I guess this book fake dating AND friends to lovers). Together Audrey and Henry were a fun pair, I really loved their closeness and how comfortable they were with each other. They also had relatively healthy communication for a couple in a romance novel. Plus, I love when couples have nicknames like they did!

I found the plot line of Audrey renting out her house while her parents were away to be quite entertaining. It led to some fun hijinks and it was fun to see her and her friend group work together to run things and cover it up. Although it definitely had me stressing at times.

4.25/5 ⭐️