Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian

From the Publisher

Lane and Vivi have had it with Isabelle Hunter's boyfriend, Shawn Littig (a.k.a. Sluttig). He is the only person who can turn their smart, confident best friend into a complete mess. When Shawn Sluttig cheats on and dumps Izzy just months before the prom she's been planning since the ninth grade, Lane and Vivi decide to take action.

With a few quick keystrokes, they create a MySpace page for "Brandon," the perfect guy to get Izzy out of her revolving-door relationship with Shawn. Too bad he's totally fake. Vivi's younger brother, Marshall, who they hire to be the "man" behind the profile, is way too into being Izzy's fake boyfriend. So they turn to cute, prep-school Jonathan to be the face of Brandon. But when Vivi falls for Jonathan, and Sluttig tries to wedge his way back into Izzy's prom picture, the whole plan starts to go south faster than you can say "fake boyfriend."

Publishers Weekly

After Isabelle gets dumped yet again by her sleazy boyfriend, her two well-meaning friends invent a dream guy for her, hoping to cheer her up (and keep her from taking him back). Domineering, sharp-tongued Vivi overrides meek Lane's objections and has Lane help create a MySpace page for "Brandon," then gets her younger brother to pretend to be him while IM'ing Izzy; later Vivi bribes Jonathan, a boy from a neighboring school, to pose as Brandon and ask Isabelle to the prom. Readers can guess that this scheme does not turn out to be as "harmless" as Vivi envisions, especially when she herself falls for Jonathan. In fact, except for a few small twists toward the end, the book follows a predictable course, right down to the girls' personal growth (Lane, for example, finally stands up to Vivi). This would be easier to swallow if Brian's (Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys) characterizations were more imaginative or her prose less standard-issue ("Her logic didn't make her heart hurt any less, and it didn't make the unshed tears recede from her eyes"). Ultimately, the inevitable chaos-and happy ending-may be all that keep readers turning pages. Ages 14-up. (Dec.)

VOYA

AGERANGE: Ages 15 to 18.

Vivi and Lane have had enough of their friend Isabelle's loser on-again, off-again boyfriend. When he publicly cheats on and dumps Izzy just before prom, the girls decide that they must take action to ensure that the break-up sticks this time. What better way for Izzy to forget Sluttig than to fall for a new guy? Because the supply of guys at their school is nonexistent, they create a MySpace profile for Izzy's perfect guy and convince Vivi's brother Marshall to play "Brandon" online. When it looks like Izzy is still heading back to her ex, the girls decide to hire someone to play "Brandon" in person and to take Izzy to the prom. With a plan like theirs, readers can only expect it to blow up in the girls' faces. The plot, straight out of a teenage soap opera and as predictable as they come, is full of humor and drama that will have teen girls devouring Brian's latest tale. Vivi and Lane are interesting characters who each have their personal side story and their individual chance to narrate events, which keeps readers invested in their lives as well as in their attempts to rescue Izzy from herself. Although the scenarios seem plausible, the characters' reactions border on unrealistic, particularly how quickly the girls forgive each other and how each ends up with her perfect boy. The novel will do well in any collection where Brian's other novels are popular or for libraries that have a lot of chick-lit readers. Reviewer: Alissa Lauzon
April 2008 (Vol. 31, No. 1)

Tina ZubakCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

Gr 7-10
A light, predictable romp. Vivi, Lane, Isabelle, and Curtis have all been friends since middle school. Vivi is the alpha teen among them, and Lane goes along with her even when she knows better. Both girls are concerned when Isabelle's boyfriend is caught kissing someone else: senior prom is a month away, and Izzy has looked forward to it forever. The two devise a plan for Vivi's slightly geeky brother to contact Izzy on MySpace, playing the role of "Brandon"; at a theater audition, the friends meet and induce Jonathan to be the fake boyfriend in person. While Vivi coaches him to be Izzy's dream date, they fall in love. There's more to the plot, of course, but all's well that ends well in this frothy concoction in which characters are likable and supportive of one another, and not too many product names are dropped. The story is pure sugar, but in a world of fast reads where being nasty is considered cool, a little sweetness is welcome.

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Product Details

• ISBN: 141691367X
  
• ISBN-13: 9781416913672
• Format: Hardcover, 272pp
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Pub. Date: December 2007
• Sales Rank: 17,858
• Age Range: Young Adult