Bookish Virginia

Hello! I am so excited to be participating in my first ever Fantastic Flying Book Club book tour, for this amazing book, which is the second in the Bookish Boyfriend series by Tiffany Schmidt. I am new to Schmidt’s writing, but I can tell you enthusiastically that this will not be the last book I read by her. In fact, I plan to immediately go out and get the first book in the series (A Date with Darcy) because this one was just so cute and such a great first summer read. Check out below for the synopsis, my take on the book, some favorite quotes, and more info about the blog tour and how you could win your own copy of this awesome summer YA read.

Title: The Boy Next Story (Amazon, Goodreads)
Author: Melonie Johnson
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Synopsis:

The second book in a series where your favorite literary characters come to life, inspired by the timeless classic, Little Women!

There’s no one better than the boy next door. At least not according to Aurora Campbell, fourteen, who has been in love with Tobias May since their very first sandbox kiss. The problem is, he’s in love with her older sister, Merrilee. And Merri is already dating one of his best friends.

Rory is learning all about pining as her class reads The Great Gatsby, a book she doesn’t find “great” at all. Also not great—her GPA, something she needs to fix, quickly, if she’d like to apply for the chance to spend a week studying art with her hero in New York City over winter break. But when Ms. Gregoire assigns her to read Little Women for extra credit, Rory discovers more than she expected—both about herself and Toby. Maybe she wasn’t in love with the boy next door. . . but the boy next story.

Love is complicated, and it’s all about to get even trickier for Rory at Reginald R. Hero Prep . . . where with the help of one quirky English teacher, students’ fantasies come true, often with surprising consequences.

My Review:

At first, when I realized the main character of this book is only 14, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to relate to her. But the thing is, she is so entirely relatable. Especially for anyone out there who has ever felt overlooked or outshined by those around them. I loved that this book is about so much more than a romance. It is about the struggle to figure out who we are, what we want, and how we are going to go about being that person in the complicated world around us. Rory is absolutely adorable and so funny—she outwardly portrays to others that she doesn’t really care about anything, but those who know her best (her sisters and Toby—the boy next door who is the male lead) see right through that front. I just love all the relationships and the exploration of what it means to be “seen” by others.

There were a few parts of the book that seemed a little oversimplified or perhaps far-fetched, such as the wedding planning for Rory’s older sister’s wedding to a senator’s son. However, for the purposes of this story, those oversimplifications aren’t a big deal, and are maybe even necessary in order to not get bogged down in overly complicated details that aren’t central to the main storyline. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it. You’ll just have to read it yourself to see what it’s all about.

The bottom line: if you are looking for a sweet YA romance to get your summer reading off on the right foot, then don’t look any further than this fabulous little book. And there’s a good chance you’ll get even more from the story than you bargained for!

Favorite Quotes:

“If I stayed stuck in the past, it would destroy me. It was time to move on. It was time to let go.”

“I know you’re off for some big adventures over break, but the right book can help you stay grounded, keep you connected to home…and make things a little easier, or at least a little clearer when those you love disappoint you.”

“You know those moments in comic books where the heroes first receive their powers and their bodies literally glow from the transformation? I felt like that. Like every cell in my body was waking up in flashes of lightning and glory.”

“Dear Gustav Klimt, I get it. Why you used all that gold and glow and detail.”

“This was just the beginning, this foyer full of happiness and harmony, where I knew what Merri was thinking and went ahead and said it for her—after all, wasn’t that what snarky little sisters were for?”

 

About the Author: Tiffany Schmidt

Tiffany Schmidt is the author of Send Me a Sign, Bright Before Sunrise, and Hold Me Like a Breath (Once Upon a Crime Family book 1). She’s found her happily ever after in Pennsylvania with her saintly husband, impish twin boys, and a pair of mischievous puggles. You can find out more about her and her books at: TiffanySchmidt.com, TiffanySchmidtWrites.Tumblr.com or by following her on Twitter @TiffanySchmidt.

Blog Tour Schedule

https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2019/04/tour-schedule-boy-next-story-bookish.html

Giveaway Details

Prize: Win a copy of BOOKISH BOYFRIENDS: THE BOY NEXT STORY by Tiffany Schmidt (US Only).

Start Date: 21st May 2019
End Date: 4th June 2019

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d9681b86368/

For another chance to win, head on over to my latest Instagram post featuring this book (you can click on my photos in the sidebar to find my Instagram account. My username is @the_slp_reads).