Book Review: Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon

*I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: Her Good Side
Author: Rebekah Weatherspoon
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9780593465301

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, though confident and self-assured, is what they call a late-bloomer. She’s never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. She’s determined to change that but after her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming—declaring her too inexperienced—and all her back-up ideas fall through, she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend’s boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until Saylor breaks up with said boyfriend.

Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he’s the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn’t quite ready for all the attention or to be someone’s boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex’s best friend to the dance.

Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart. And it works—guys are finally noticing Bethany. But things get complicated as their kissing sessions—for research of course!—start to feel real. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?

———

Her Good Side is a very sweet teen romance about two very inexperienced daters who just can’t seem to get it together and find a good relationship, let alone make one stick. The girls are all suddenly taking an interest in Jacob, but there’s no one with whom he feels comfortable being himself. Bethany has an embarrassing past that she can’t outrun and the boys in her class aren’t sure if she’s open to dating or not. These two are absolute rockstars when it comes to their passions, but their love lives are lacklustre. Why not date each other? It’s a prime opportunity for them to build confidence, to try out dating in a safe environment, and to discover what it means to confide in another.

What neither one of them saw coming was the development of serious feelings. They both know that there’s a deadline on the horizon for the agreed-upon end of their relationship, but what are they to do when they independently begin to feel something more than just friendship?

This story is quirky, flirtatious, and fun. The characters are loveable, and even the secondary characters feel tangible and relatable. It’s a simple story that we’ve seen time and time again, but Weatherspoon has come at it with a refreshing twist. I think these protagonists are really accessible to a wide array of readers, in ways that so many stories are not. They are so real. There are many readers who will see themselves in Jacob or Bethany. The diversity in this book is to die for; it’s so representative of the modern world and fully encompassing of teens today.

The characters are balancing school, the pressure of the real world, their looming and uncertain futures, and the friendships and relationships that are just regular part of high school life. I could see any one of them in my own high school experience, and that was refreshing. No gimmicks, nothing over the top, and it was all the more relatable for it. I really enjoyed this read, and I hope you will too. This is a must-have as we head towards the summer season.

Happy reading!