Review The Boyfriend App

THE BOYFRIEND APP BY KATIE SISE

PUBLISHER: Balzer ">Goodreads I Amazon I Author Website

In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can't wait to get out of high school. Her father's death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.

But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler-and the 200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she's the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?

Okay. I'm going to start off by saying that, although I gave this book a low rating, I really appreciated the idea behind it. Katie Sise gets all of the fred for writing a book about something that all of us single girls out here wish existed. An app that locates our dream guy and develops an insta-love connection at the click of a button? Yes, please. In fact, I actually checked the app store in the middle of reading, hoping that some kind-hearted tech-wizard got inspired and actually made this happen. But...alas. It looks like the only app I'll be downloading is a virtual boyfriend that breaks down and shuts off my phone with all of its dysfunctions.

Anyway, I was disappointed to find out that the actual book was like an app itself - fun and cool-looking when you first get it and dig in, but a bit of a let-down when I came across a few bugs and slow content.

So, this book was fun at first. Audrey and her gang of friends were the typical group of misfits, and the dialogue was all very cutesy - if not a little unrealistic. Regardless, it was all straightforward and easy to keep up with. There were elements that I adored - like all of the blogging references. But somewhere along the way, the plot got a little complicated and completely out of reach.

First of all, the author threaded so many backstories into the novel that, at times, I felt like I was reading a prequel. Some things definitely could've just been implied. And then the dialogue took a turn for the worst when the "mean girl" of the story began to sound like a parody of a catty rich girl and teenybopper slang got thrown around like a Disney Channel Original Movie. There were also other things that simply didn't make sense - like the silly evolution of the Boyfriend App, sudden relationships that were just thrown in to keep the plot in motion, and an ending that was a total stretch.

Audrey was one of those characters that I didn't really mind as I was reading, but instantly forgot when I put the book down. I get that she's a techie, hence the ongoing references to things I couldn't even fathom, but there wasn't anything beyond that. I couldn't connect to her at all. In fact, I found myself more drawn to her flamboyant cousin, Lindsay, who was fun and actually way more developed than her surrounding cast.

Okay...maybe I missed something, but the romance made absolutely no sense in this novel. Audrey jumps from crush to crush, fights her feelings, then embraces them, and has no clear direction when it comes to matters of her heart. I just didn't understand how she could be an introverted observer crushing on her best guy friend on one page, then go on to make out with jocks on cafeteria tables on the next.

I definitely think that this all could have worked if the author had stuck to one love interest for Audrey, cutting out all of the sporadic kisses, make out sessions, and confessions along the way. I wanted someone to route for, but that definitely wasn't happening.

All in all, I was a little bummed when "The Boyfriend App" didn't live up to the high expectations I had for it. While the title is unforgettable, and I'll be holding out hope for a "real" app, the actual book just didn't deliver for me. This one is skippable - but if you're still curious, I'd hold out until it's available at your local library.

"I knew I was playing with fire, but I couldn't stop now."

- AUDREY