Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend by Penny Reid

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Dates Read: 2/13/23 - 2/15/23

    Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser may have known each other for years, but they are far from best friends. In fact, they barely tolerate each other, finding their interactions filled with condescension and annoyance. They couldn't be more different: Winnie is a passionate public school science teacher with a desire to promote women in STEM careers and build communities through social media, while Byron is a pretentious, joyless bestselling author who shuns all forms of socialization.

    However, a twist of fate leads them to pretend to be best friends for their online audience. What starts as a simple tit-for-tat trend between non-friends quickly turns into an unexpected kind of pretend. As they continue their charade for millions of online spectators, the lines between reality and facade begin to blur. Sometimes, it takes the scrutiny of a public audience to uncover the truth of private feelings, and they soon realize that what they show online may not reflect what lies beneath the surface. In a world where appearances can be deceiving, they learn that it's essential to look beyond the virtual realm to find true connection and understanding.

    I have to admit, I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I wanted to like it, and in some ways, I did. But at the same time, the characters were so irritating that it almost ruined the experience for me. It was just okay, I guess. This book was crazy. It's easily one of the strangest romance novels I've ever come across, maybe even in the top five on that list. It had this bizarre mix of immaturity and explicit sexual content that left me scratching my head.

    The characters were just odd. The virgin hero suddenly gets all kinky and talks about doing things I can't even mention here, but then he's like, "Oh, but let's not actually do it because I don't want to ruin our friendship." And the heroine is like, "Okay, I'll be your friend, but can I still touch your wiener?" It's just so weird and out of character.

    Honestly, I didn't hate the book, but it felt more like a fever dream of a fanfic rather than a romance novel. The main characters were the most awkward and clueless I've ever encountered in a book. Their level of maturity was on par with my high school cousin's, which is saying something. I cringed so hard at some parts that I got second-hand embarrassment. It was almost painful to read.

    My biggest gripe was the length. It didn't need to be over 500 pages; at least 300 of those felt like filler with repetitive inner monologues and unnecessary science jargon. In the end, I can't say I loved it, but it definitely left an impression. If you're looking for something utterly bizarre and don't mind a lot of awkwardness, give it a shot. But if you prefer more conventional romance, you might want to steer clear of this one.