Thursday, March 27, 2014

ARC Review & Giveaway - The Romeo Club by Rebekah L. Purdy

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
Pages: 181
Goodreads Rating: 4.3 Stars
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
My Content Rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing shown, but there are references to sex)

Summary from Goodreads: What happens when you agree to help your brother “de-nerdify” so he can catch the attention of the popular Chloe Anders, and to everyone's surprise, he actually lands her?

And what if his equally geeky friends come running with girl wish lists of their own, offering money for your services?

Well, if you’re sixteen-year-old, Delyla Denson, then you start The Romeo Club. A secret club where she’ll teach these guys how talk, act, and be cool around girls. It’s a win-win situation.

She’ll get enough money for the awesome prom dress she’s had her eye on, and the guys, well, they’ll get dates and maybe learn how to do something other than beat the next level on their video games.

There are only two problems with this plan. One, her quarterback/track star boyfriend is getting jealous of how much time she’s spending away from him and decides to try and figure out what’s going on. And two, Delyla is kind of falling for her brother’s BFF, Trey who she’s been hanging out with a lot more. And who thanks to her help, has caught the attention of the beautiful, perfect, and popular, Portia Rickard. With Portia and Trey heating up, Delyla realizes that maybe the person she’s meant to be with has been in front of her all this time.

But falling for Trey means she’ll have to take drastic measures including sabotage, with a capital S.



The Romeo Club was a cute, light YA contemporary romance.  It took the idea of the nerd makeover and added a bit of a twist (the fact that Delyla was making over a whole group of guys and giving them all dating advice along the way).  

The negatives:
  • The cover.  This is a bit nit-picky, but the guy on this cover does NOT look like he belongs in high school.  The girl could kind of pass, but that guy looks like he's pushing 30!
  • Couldn't connect.  The main reason that I didn't absolutely love this book was because I never really felt like I connected with Delyla.  I just kept cringing at her actions - her constantly lying to her boyfriend, deciding she was in love with her friend Trey (right after she made him over, of course), sabotaging Trey's relationship - the list goes on.  I just couldn't bring myself to really like Delyla, so I couldn't connect with her all that much.  The only times I did like her was when she was with Trey, but things with them ended up getting so messed up that I wasn't even 100% sure I was still rooting for them for a while there.
What I loved:
  • The Nerd Herd.  This was Delyla's name for the group of geeky boys that she was helping (she didn't say it meanly - it was an affectionate name).  This group of guys was definitely the best part about the book!  Delyla was definitely at her best when she was with them - they were smart, goofy and fun - and shared her love of video games.  The guys made Delyla realize that she didn't have to hide her inner nerd, which I loved!
  • Trey.  Like I said, I really liked Delyla best when she was with Trey.  He was sweet and fun and obviously a really great friend - basically a super nice guy who deserved to get the girl.  The only question was, which girl did he deserve to get?
Overall, this was a cute book that will probably work really well for the YA crowd.  While I didn't completely connect with the main character, I still enjoyed the times that I did and I liked the overall story.  I give it 3/5 stars.


***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***


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About the Author

Rebekah Purdy grew up in Michigan, where she spent many late nights armed with a good book and a flashlight. When not hiding at her computer and getting lost in her stories, she enjoys reading, singing, soccer, swimming, football, camping, playing video games and hanging out with her kids. She loves the unexplainable like Bigfoot, the Dogman, and the Loch Ness Monster (lots of good story material)! She admits to still having all the books she bought throughout her childhood and teen years, and she may or may not have an obsession with anything chocolate…

Author Links:
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8 comments:

  1. I love the name of the book:). I agree though the guy does look a little "old" for HS. Sounds super cute though! Great review!

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    1. I know - If that guy was walking around the local high school, he'd have to be a teacher! :-)

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  2. I'm not sold on this one... There are aspects of the story I like, but when the main character is hard to connect with it can bring the whole book down. Thanks for the honest review.

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads

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    1. True. Sometimes that just happens for one reason or another. There are other people who really loved this book, but the lack of connection for me brought it down from a "loved it" level to an "enjoyed it" level.

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  3. Does sound cute but not high on my list!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  4. Hehehe! Sounds like a fun one Nicole. Shame you couldn't connect with Delyla as you would hope. Great review though, I'm intrigued!

    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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  5. That sounds fun! I happen to read YA paranormal books mostly; sometimes something like this can be refreshing for a change. Added to my list! :)

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