Review : The Fill-in Boyfriend by Kasie West

Title : The Fill-in Boyfriend
Author : Kasie West
Genre : YA contemporary
Release Date : May 5th, 2015
Publisher : HarperTeen

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When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Compared to The Distance Between Us and On the Fence, The Fill-in Boyfriend is my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, I still like it, but it didn't reach my expectation.

One of the reasons is the main character, Gia. I dislike her at first. She's annoying and likes to use people for her own importance. The whole time (Okay, not the whole, but at least the first few chapters) I just want to smack her head and throw this book across my room (which is not possible, unless I want to break my phone). Not to mention, the whole lying-so-my-friend-believe-me thing didn't help either. To add that, her friend is even worse than her, well, at least one of them. I know this sounds like a negative review, but, gradually, she changed. She tried hard to be a better person, from the smallest thing like didn't ignore people to a bigger things, such as trying to repair her dysfunctional family. Those acts touched my heart, and by the end of the books--eventhough she till has a long way to became a better person--I can tolerate her.

Of course there's something that "trigger" her change, and that something would be Bec and his brother, Fill-in Bradley (go figure his real name). For someone who share the same DNA, Bec and Fill-in Bradley is as same as the sky and the earth. Bec is a reckless and a little gothic teenager, while Fill-in Bradley is an easygoing, humorous, and funny guy. Nonetheless, I still like them. Not just them, actually, more like their whole family. Their family is unique and warm and loving. They're definitely the best part from this book.

I have a mixed feelings with the romance. While I like Gia and Fill-in Bradley's friendship, I didn't like their "official" relationship (you know, when they admit they like each other). It happens too abrupt for me and I feel like it's plain compared to their friendship. I prefer their colorful and fun and full of feels friendship (eventhough I still ship them).

In conclusion, The Fill-in Boyfriend is a quick, fluffy read, but a bit disappointing. The most disappointing thing from this book is the problems are never truly resolved. The dysfunctional family and the broken friendship are left hanging, with just "a flicker of hope" to be better. I wish it has more development.