Kelsey Rodkey - Plus One

Kelsey Rodkey - Plus One 

3⭐

Genre:  YA, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher:  Harper360YA, Harper360

Date Published: 20th July 2023

Huge thank you to Harper360YA  for sending me this book to read and review

 

Book Blurb: 

They say that those who can’t do, teach.

Lahey Johnson is notorious for helping her friends and classmates find love. Sure, she’s never had a boyfriend herself. But she could. If she wanted to. Right? She just hasn’t had a reason to focus on her own love life—but now, with her detested cousin Summer’s sweet sixteen coming up, she’s got the ultimate reason: revenge.

Lahey will do anything to prove that she can get a date to Summer’s party—anything, including juggle six prospective suitors in seven days. She’s matched people before—all she needs to do is figure out who these guys are looking for and become that girl. Easy.

The only issue? Her older sister’s irritating friend Adler has decided to take a front-row seat to the spectacle that is Lahey’s life. He can bother her all he wants—nothing will distract Lahey from her goal of one-upping Summer.

But as the party creeps closer, the panic sets in.

Can a matchmaker ever really meet her own match?

My Review: 

For me, this book was a very average YA rom-com. It was a very quick read, but it wasn’t anything special that changed my life or stood out for me. I didn’t really feel the chemistry or connection between the main heroine and her love interest. The whole premise seemed a bit too unrealistic. Also, the main heroine at times was a bit too moany and stuck-up for me to really like her.

The story follows Lahey who desperately needs to find a date for her cousin's birthday party, as she doesn’t want to be seen as lonely and not able to find a perfect boyfriend for herself. Lahey goes on a series of disastrous dates that end tragically, especially since during each of those dates, she bumps into her older sister’s best friend and her arch nemesis Adler. It seems like both; faith and Adler don’t want Lahey to have her happy ending.

Lahey did get on my nerves so many times throughout this book. She was so unlikable, childish, self-destructive, and so desperate to find a boyfriend, that she actually forgets what really matters. She wanted to show off and prove her cousins right, but she completely abandons her friends and family in the process. I also didn’t see much of her development throughout the book, even though there were so many amazing opportunities for her to grow.

Some moments in this book were also very cringe. Like the non-existent chemistry between Lahey and Adler. It didn’t feel like Adler was a big part of the book, as he didn’t feature that much, yet he was the main love interest. It would have been nice if the author allowed us readers to get to know him more, by giving him more page time and developing him into more three dimensional character, so maybe then the chemistry between them would’ve been more believable.

Overall: Quick, easy, but overall average rom-com, with nothing really special or stand out. I liked the writing and supporting characters but couldn’t stand the obnoxious and stuck-up main heroine, who didn’t develop or grew at all throughout the book. 

About the Author:

Kelsey Rodkey is the author of the young adult novels Last Chance Books, A Disaster in Three Acts, and Plus One. She is a banter enthusiast always in search of scary movies, delicious carbs, and her next five-star read. She once helped a British film crew make a documentary about creative dog grooming and has a terrible fear of waterslides. She lives in Central Pennsylvania with her partner and their cats, Cheese and Tux.

https://www.kelseyrodkey.com