Author: Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-Broka
Publication Date: April 23, 2019
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
High school senior Cameron Bright’s reputation can be summed up in one word: bitch. It’s no surprise she’s queen bee at her private L.A. high school—she’s beautiful, talented, and notorious for her cutting and brutal honesty. So when she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good. In an attempt to win him over, Cameron resolves to “tame” herself, much like Katherine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. First, she’ll have to make amends with those she’s wronged, which leads her to Brendan, the guy she labelled with an unfortunate nickname back in the sixth grade. At first, Brendan isn’t all that receptive to Cameron’s ploy. But slowly, he warms up to her when they connect over the computer game he’s developing. Now if only Andrew would notice… But the closer Cameron gets to Brendan, the more she sees he appreciates her personality—honesty and all—and wonders if she’s compromising who she is for the guy she doesn’t even want.
I have such a soft spot for main characters who are considered as "mean girls" or "that bitch" and said main character is actually a sweetheart and also a soft fluff on the inside. There's just this thing about misunderstood characters that draw me into them. Although I'm not saying all misunderstood characters can really be labeled as that and I'm not drawn to ALL of them anyway.
I did not expect to love this book. I really didn't. This is one of the contemporary books that is worth a one-sitting kind of read. I got pulled into the story when Cameron started "taming" herself because she was being rude to a crying girl and her crush was there to witness it all happen. I like how that the turn of events started there. I knew there was more to Cameron than what her exterior personality (and appearance) shows. I also love how she doesn't fake herself to people about her living situation. She's just real. And I love that about her so much that I just wanted nothing but to love and protect her.
Cameron and Brendan were absolutely adorable. I love how she started seeing things about him that got her heart thumping, like he's more than a geek who spends his time in the robotics room. Being a geek isn't bad though but Brendan has distanced himself away from people but Cameron started hanging out with him, with a genuine apology of her calling him a nickname that hurt him. Their moments were just so precious that I honestly always look forward to their scenes together.
At the end of the book, I was just so proud of how Cameron has come so far with herself. She didn't change because she embraces the part of her that is flawed but she did to be a better person. I'm like that mom that says "that's my baby, and I'm proud" because I really am.
A BIG BIG BONUS TO THAT PRETTY PINK COVER.
with honesty,