This book’s premise is exactly what the title suggests: Gia’s college boyfriend dumped her in the parking lot of her senior prom. Fearing for her social status and what her friends would say, she makes the spur-of-the-moment decision to ask a boy sitting in his car to be her fake date. But things go a little too well; Gia now can’t stop thinking about the mysterious boy and keeps reminding herself he was only playing the role of doting boyfriend. Gia’s conflicted because she’s never had to chase down a boy before, but she now finds herself tracking down the mystery boy’s sister Bec to figure out his story. She’s also dealing with the guilt of lying to her best friends about her prom date.
This book brings up a lot of issues teens deal with today: how their presence on social media is tied to their self-worth, how to express feelings in a productive way instead of destructive way, and what does it mean to be a true friend. Gia finds that she’s popular but unsure of herself. She realizes that she’s never really put herself out there for others to know her, not even her closest friends. Her parents don’t deal with issues and instead choose to not have any conflict, which Gia realizes isn’t the best way to deal with feelings. Another powerful message is being a better person. Gia realizes that her actions have consequences, even small things like laughing at someone or not speaking up when her friends say something derogatory. And sometimes being a better person means that you will loose friends along the way who don’t want you to change for the better.
This is only my second Kasie West novel, but so far they’ve been cute and enjoyable. They’re middle school appropriate (no physical intimacy past kissing) while still bringing up issues girls need to hear, like having self-worth and being your own person. I will definitely be reading more of her books and recommending them to my middle schoolers.
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