Author: Sonia Hartl
Publication Date: 1 September 2020
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Page Count: 288
Reading Method: Digital ARC
Synopsis:
Macy Evans dreams of earning enough income from her YouTube channel, R3ntal Wor1d, to leave her small, Midwestern town. But when she meets a boy named Eric at a baseball game, and accidently dumps her hotdog in his lap, her disastrous “meet-cute” becomes the topic of a viral thread. Now it’s not loyal subscribers flocking to her channel, it’s Internet trolls. And they aren’t interested in her reviews of VHS tapes—they only care about her relationship with Eric.
Eric is overly eager to stretch out his fifteen minutes of fame, but Macy fears this unwanted attention could sabotage her “real-life” relationships—namely with the shy boy-next-door, Paxton, who she’s actually developing feelings for. Macy knows she should shut the lie down, though she can’t ignore the advertising money, or the spark she gets in her chest whenever someone clicks on her videos. Eric shouldn’t be the only one allowed to reap the viral benefits. But is faking a relationship for clicks and subscribers worth hurting actual people?
Review:
This was a really cute story! Macy meets a guy at a Royals game, and a stranger sitting behind her takes photos of the “meet-cute” that go viral. From there, everything spirals out of control.
I really liked most of the characters in this one. Macy is alright, but irritating at times. The best characters in the book? Macy’s grandma and her sewing group – the Bees. I would read a whole book about that crazy crew. Macy’s friends and coworkers all brought something to the table and had a bit more depth than I was expecting.
The story itself was a bit fantastical, but not completely over the top. It just felt like the story was trying to accomplish so much, that some of the elements fell flat or were completely unbelievable in order to make some other aspect of the book work.
Overall, a quick and decent read that did put a smile on my face in several parts!
You can purchase a copy of Not Your #Lovestory here
