Need something light and easy and NOT depressing. This should do the trick.
(it did)
Okay. I'm so very tempted to give this book 4 stars (which it does not really deserve) simply because it saved me from a reading slump.
And to think I almost did not read it.

It's full of tropes. It's flawed. DEEPLY flawed.
Yet I loved it for those very reasons. And yes, I knew what I was getting into.
Don't get me wrong, I love my books well written and with at least some depth and layers. But sometimes I just need a little pick-me-up. Because life sucks, books disappoint, depression reigns. That's why I need something like this every little while.

This book cheered me up. It worked its magic.
Because sometimes you just need a story - not matter how bad or flawed. ( )

Taylor, a good girl, nicknamed the Ice Queen by her classmates, wakes up in Evan's bed, not remembering how she got there. Evan, an admitted player, isn't too worried, but Taylor freaks out. This sounds like an opening to one of the many rape books books I've read this year; but nothing happened, really! Instead this is a super cute YA romance, clean, funny, with just a little bit of angst. ( )

Check out even more review on my blog at: https://www.lifeofafemalebibliophile.com/

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame is a YA novel that follows a girl name Taylor who is at the top of her school game. She has excellent grades, is involved with the honor society, and is working hard on trying to get into the best college. Taylor gets into a compromising situation with one of the schools well-known party boys, Evan, and vicious rumors start to spread even though nothing happened between the two. They both agree upon “fake dating” in order to squash the rumors. Will their plan succeed or fail?

Taylor and Evan are complete opposites. Taylor is solely focused on all things academic and Evan is a bad-boy who has a reputation with girls, plus he just seems to coast by at school. The two will have to put their differences aside in order to work with one another. Once they start their fake relationship they fall into a new friendship and are able to slowly lower their defenses. The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” comes into play in this story as they learn the initial view they pegged on one another is wrong. They find they have a lot in common including the absence of their biological dad. Both of their dads left for different reasons and they work together to cope with the issues of feeling left-behind, plus dealing with their step-dads.

As predicted the two start to have feelings for one another even though they try to deny it. Through the course of the story I liked that they “rubbed off” on one another. Taylor becomes less high-strung and Evan starts to take his academics more seriously while focusing on his future. The gives a realistic view of high school life. our main characters tackle: peer pressure, college applications, drugs/alcohol, and life after high school.

Though it was sometimes predictable I thought that this novel was enjoyable and fun. I liked seeing the development of the main characters over the course of the story and how they dealt with obstacles used to test their relationship as well as personal challenges. The characters felt well-rounded and the overall writing was smooth, but I felt the plot was lacking and it needed something more. I recommend this book if you’re looking for a light YA read. ( )

Taylor worries about the gossip about her night with Evan. She comes up with a plan to put an end to the gossip and the possible potential of it ruining her plans for Columbia. Evan agrees to the plan. Even though it starts out as pretend, feelings get in the way.

I liked Taylor and Evan. They are cute. I enjoyed the alternating points of view. Their minds worked differently. Both needed to learn to listen and not impose their thoughts on the situation. I was rooting for them to make pretend real. The story was realistic to those angst-filled teen years.

This is a cute story. I look forward to more of Jenn P. Nguyen. (less ( )