Brendan Halpin

JENNA AND JONAH'S FAUXMANCE, by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin, is an absolutely charming and romantic book that is based on a teen tv-show couple. 'Jenna' and 'Jonah' are the teen stars of a show that children and adults alike are facinated with. Their on-screen romance lead to fans encroaching on their real life romance that paparazzi and tabloids exploit. To keep the show and their jobs, Charlie and Fielding keep the rouse alive until a rumor threatens their livelyhood and their show more fauxmance.

Okay, normally I am not much of a gusher, but beware I am going to gush! I sat down to read it, and two hours later I was finished and completely enamored. This book was so lovely. Franklin and Halpin created some noteworthy characters. These two teens were thrust into the Hollywood life too young and their real personalities were deeply hidden under their facade of a life together as a couple. Charlie had wanted to become a legitimate actor but her job took over her whole life and she couldn't shake 'Jenna' offscreen. Fielding was the sweetest gem. I defintely fell in love with this character. When Charlie and Fielding spent time away from the spotlight, their real feelings for each other bloomed and I raced through the book to find out if they would be able to work out in the real world. Don't worry, I won't tell!

These two authors created a journey I never expected to go on. The ups and downs of these struggling characters made me laugh and cry throughout the book. I enjoyed the shifting POVs between Charlie and Fielding. I was prvy to information that the other was not and it was exciting watching the tension build between these two. Overall, great teen chick-lit. Great story, great characters, swoon-worthy boy. A dangerous trifecta! show less

Summary: Charlie and Fielding have played the parts of Jenna and Jonah on a family TV show for three years. Their characters have been in love forever, and the two actors have been forced to pretend they are in a relationship in real life, too. But the truth is, Charlie and Fielding hate each other with a passion. So when Fielding is falsely accused of being gay, he jumps at the opportunity to escape his fauxmance with Charlie. But then the pair is thrown back together to reenact a show more Shakespeare play, they find out that their hatred for each other might be just the opposite…

My thoughts: When I first read the back of Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance, I assumed it would be a watered-down, sugared-up version of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. I mean, read that title and tell me that’s not the first thing that pops into your head. Fortunately, Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance held its own, and was much more enjoyable than I anticipated.

The book is told in two different perspectives—one written by the female author (Charlie) and the other written by the male author (Aaron/Fielding). This writing style really worked for the story, because it allowed the reader to see how well the feelings of the two characters matched up. The two authors really did a great job of perfecting the banter between Charlie and Fielding, and though it’s pretty obvious that the two will eventually end up together, the journey they take to get there is all kinds of fun.

One thing that was especially interesting about Jenna & Jonah was the incorporation of the celebrity lifestyle. It’s not all expensive clothing and daily trips to Pinkberry for Charlie and Fielding. Their work is portrayed with extreme realism—the authors bring up the long hours, the tough-love agents, and the paparazzi. Charlie and Fielding also learn a bit about acting on stage, something that I personally have a lot of experience with. I felt that the authors of Jenna & Jonah did an excellent job of not sugarcoating how difficult theater actually is.

Charlie and Fielding were fun characters, and I enjoyed their internal struggles with both personal obstacles and their feelings for each other. They both change quite a bit from the first pages of the book to the last. The fact that they grew as people over the course of the story made Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance more than just a love story.

Fans of chick lit will easily devour Jenna & Jonah’s Fauxmance: it’s a light, fun read full of snarky comebacks and mixed emotions. I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. show less

Best friends Amanda and Lena have always been an unstoppable pair on the soccer field. Although ninth graders rarely make the varsity team, they are hopeful. A recent growth spurt of several inches has caused Amanda to develop Sever’s disease, a temporary disorder that causes significant heel pain as the tendons try to keep up with bone growth. As she puts it, instead of charging up the wing, she’s now hobbling toward the goal. But it’s still an unexpected blow when she hears that Lena show more has made the varsity cut and she has been relegated to JV. As much as the two girls try to pretend it won’t affect their friendship, it does: in addition to the different practices and games, Lena is socializing more with the juniors and seniors who make up the varsity team. Things come to a head when Lena asks Amanda to accompany her to a party so that she can meet up with a guy she likes. Unable to deceive her dad and stepmom, Amanda comes clean about the evening’s activities, and when Lena’s parents find out where she really was, Lena blames Amanda. Both of the girls develop other friendships, and these friendships affect the choices they make in the rocky new waters of high school. While Brendan Halpin’s previous novels have been geared toward older readers, his background as a high school teacher is evident here: the dialogue is spot-on, and the characters are fully fleshed. Themes of death aren’t as prevalent as in his earlier works, although Amanda’s loss of her mom when she was young and the resulting blended family are important threads in the story. Amanda’s first person narration rings true with a captivating mix of teenage humor and insecurity. Occasional language is typical of the teen characters and is not gratuitous. While there is plenty of soccer action for fans of the sport, feel confident putting this in the hands of any teen looking for a solid friendship story that manages to convey the benefits of doing the right thing without any preachiness. show less

I have so much to say about this book, so let’s go.

The book is told through a split first person POV, alternating between Lucas and Tessa, both of who are our main characters. They’ve been best friends since they were little, and they work in Tessa’s parents’ store together. Lucas is a baseball star, Tessa is one of the town’s sweethearts, and everyone assumes they’re gonna get together eventually. Including Lucas.

So he plans a big gesture asking her to prom, and she refuses, coz show more she’s gay, and he had no idea.

So far so good, I guess, but literally a few chapters into the book and we already have a problem here.

Lucas, rather than being a good human being who actually understands his best friend’s predicament, calls her selfish and gets angry at her, and literally outs her to the entire town because she refuses to go to prom with him coz she’s gay. Her parents’ store is boycotted because they live in a very conservative town, and Tessa is warned by the school board that if she intends on taking a girl with her to prom, she would not be allowed entry, even though she’s a senior and is leaving the next year. Literally, Lucas brings some of the worst moments of her life on his supposed ‘best friend’.

However, Lucas’s mother manages to talk him into actually trying to fix things, which he does. With some help, he manages to organize a Big Gay Prom in an abandoned warehouse, and it goes super well. Tessa forgives Lucas, and the story ends with them discussing college plans and their life after they graduate high school.

Sweet, right?

Yeah, maybe a bit unrealistic too.

In what universe, pray tell, would someone who is part of the LGBT community, ever forgive someone who outed them? When? I don’t care how big the gesture for forgiveness is: you never out someone, and that someone will probably never forgive you in return. Outing someone before they’re ready, and in malicious intent, is a big deal and can ruin your life. I know enough people who are part of the LGBT community to tell you that this novel is insanely inaccurate in the portrayal of Lucas and Tessa’s friendship after he outs her. Trust the narrative to be in favour of the straight man who comes in and saves the day.

It reminds me a bit too much of what happened to Santana on Glee after she was outed by Finn and had to deal with the repercussions, and then STILL forgave him for what he did. Total bullshit.

Final rating: 2/5. This book is essentially a what happens when you let straight people write queer fiction. It ain’t really worth it. Don’t bother unless you have nothing else to read. show less