The Boyfriend Whisperer by Linda Budzinski Pages: 200
Published by Swoon Romance on November 15, 2016
Genres: Young Adult, contemporary
Source: eARC from Publisher
As President and CEO of Boyfriend Whisperer Enterprises, Lexi Malloy is Grand View High School’s undercover Cupid.
One problem: She’s stuck in the friend zone with her own dream crush, Chris Broder. She and Chris have been best friends since the third grade, and he doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a member of the opposite sex.
When pretty, flirty cheerleader Lindsay LaRouche hires Lexi to whisper Chris, she has to decide whether to place her commitment to her company—and Chris’s happiness—before her own heart's desires.
The Boyfriend Whisperer is a young adult contemporary romance by Linda Budzinski. I have never read any of Linda’s previous books, but I will certainly be on the look out for her next one. The Boyfriend Whisperer was a super cute read that was an adorable Cyrano De Bergerac-esque match making romp I loved. I am a big sucker for a cute friends to more story, and I also have a soft spot in my heart for matching romances, so this one was a big win for me! The characters were all age appropriate and well developed, the romance was cute and the overall story was a blast. The Boyfriend Whisperer is one of the better young adult contemporaries I have read this year.
The Boyfriend Whisperer is told entirely from Lexi’s point of view. Lexi is a 5 foot 9 inch basketball wizard in her high school. And because of this, she is friends with all of the guys on the basketball team, and she feels like all she will ever be seen as is one of the guys or the tall basketball girl. I thought this was an interesting take on feeling out of place in high school. I loved it. Lexi is a jock and is a darn good one at that, but she struggles with deciding what she wants to do in the future. I really enjoyed watching her struggle through this choice, which is complicated by the fact that she is hot recruit for college basketball. And then you have her secret identity.
I got a hoot and a half out of her recon for the Boyfriend Whisperer. I loved all the intel she gets on the guys, and I personally thought (that though a bit misguided) the hints and tips she gave the girls were impressive ideas. I bet they would help them catch the eye of their crush. I was pretty impressed. (yes, saw where this was going to ultimately blow up in her face, but I personally thought she did a great job.) I loved that she kept a secret identity but she had Abi as the public face of the company. It was really cute. And I really liked Lexi’s friendship with Abi, though I often felt Abi got the short end of the stick. But she is a true friend. I would love to see a spin off with Abi’s story!
Lexi has had a crush on her best friend Chris for forever, so imagine her dismay when a request to boyfriend whisper him comes across her business. Let the games begin. This book was so much fun. I loved that it wasn’t simply a match making story. It was also about other issues high schoolers face. I loved that it was just in Lexi’s point of view, because I felt like I really got to know her. The Boyfriend Whisperer was a very quick read, but by the time I was finished reading, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the characters yet. I wanted to see more of Lexi, Christ and Abi. Not to mention all of her basketball friends. I would love to see another book done in this world. I loved The Boyfriend Whisperer, and if you like cute YA friends to more romances, I think you will enjoy this one too.
The Boyfriend Whisperer by @LindaBudz is a 'super cute read' - @BookBriefs @SwoonRomance Check it out today! Click To Tweet
About Linda Budzinski
I live in Northern Virginia with my husband, Joe, and our feisty chihuahua, Demitria (also known as Dee Dee, The Puppy, and Killer). I’m a sucker for romance and reality TV and have been known to turn off my phone’s ringer when watching “The Bachelor.”
Linda Budzinski
Thank you for taking the time to review my book. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And, I am working on a sequel, with a different main character (not Abi, though she will of course make a few appearances!).
Julie @ Happily Ever Chapter
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this one. I was part of a blog tour for this one but didn’t get an ARC because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to read it in time. It sounded so good that I added it to my TBR list anyway! lol. Great review!!
Penny Olson
It sounds fun. I think I would have really liked it when I was younger.
danielle hammelef
I love when girls as POV characters are also into sports. This sounds like so much fun as I also played basketball in school.
Megan Coppadge
Yay for no insta-love (or mutual love happening) in a YA book. I find that there are too many of those and it’s just not realistic to me, maybe because it’s never happened to me and I’m really skeptical about it. This sounds like a really cute book to add to a tbr list.
Thutz
I love your book.