The Fine Art of Pretending {by Rachel Harris}

Title: The Fine Art of Pretending

Author: Rachel Harris

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Received via NetGalley

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.
With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.
But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Rachel Harris is the queen of everything flirty. I'm sure I've said that before, but it deserves to be said again. And this book definitely shows why. It was so cute, flirty, swoony, and probably my favorite Rachel Harris book so far.

Aly is tired of being the just friends with guys. She wants to show everyone that she can be fun and sexy too, so with the help of her friends, launches Operation Sex Appeal. She gets a makeover, a whole new wardrobe, and changes basically everything about herself. For the final stage, she gets her best friend, Brandon, to fake "hookup" with her to make everyone else at school believe it. The end goal? Get Justin, the hottest guy in school to ask her to homecoming.

I love best friend-to-more romances. Not all the time, but if it's done well. And this one was definitely done well. Sure, it might seem predictable, but it was still written so well that it doesn't matter. I love the back story between the two friends and loved their easy going and fun friendship (at least, before the fake dating).

There were definite times when I wanted to slap some sense into Aly, ha. She's so obsessed with making herself over and getting the date with Justin that she seems to ignoring what everyone else is trying to tell her. But where she's coming from is also completely understandable, especially as a high schooler. I'm sure every girl at some point has wanted to make themselves over, completely start new. And Aly actually does. But I also think the lessons she learns by the end, about who she is, and what she actually wants from life were so important and necessary.

And Brandon. Sa-woooon. Might he be one of my favorite book boyfriends yet? Yes, he might very well be. I loved how he was willing to fake it for Aly, but also how he wanted to show her why it was worth it for her to stay a Commitment and not lose herself to be a casual. (Uh, okay, I will say he didn't do a very good job, but still. He tried.) From helping his sister and mom and being the man of the house, to helping coach the girls' volleyball team, to always being there for Aly, he shows us that he's more than just his reputation of being a player. We get to see some deep sides of him, which was great.

And of course, there were the moments when I just wanted to scream at the two of them to stop being so frustrating and just kiss already.

I loved the background characters too. Gabi and Carlos were probably my favorite. But they were definitely written realistically, making it really seem like high schoolers with friends being normal high schoolers. I also loved how the parents were involved and there, not nonexistent.

This was definitely such a great story. You will definitely get invested in the characters and the story. It was fluffy and sweet, and definitely so cute. Rachel Harris wins again.

This review can also be found on   

Rachel Harris:

Website | tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

{Cover Reveal} The Fine Art of Pretending

Hey guys! Today, I am excited to help share the cover for The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris! If you have not read any of her books, you definitely need to check them out. I've only read A Tale of Two Centuries, but I loved it, and will definitely be checking out more of her books. Including this one!

So without further ado, I present............................................

Title: The Fine Art of Pretending

Author: Rachel Harris

Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary

Release Date: September 30, 2014

According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Doesn't it sound totally awesome? And that cover is so cute. (Okay, is it totally weird that I want the shirt the girl is wearing? It's just so cute.) If you haven't checked out any of Rachel's books yet, you definitely should! I can't wait to read this one :)

Rachel Harris:

Website | tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

A Tale of Two Centuries {by Rachel Harris}

Title: A Tale of Two Centuries

Author: Rachel Harris

Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, #2

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?

So I have not read the first book in this series, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century. I have wanted to for a while now, but just haven't ever gotten around to it. But when I got this eARC and looked for MSSSC and the library, they didn't have it. Now the author said that this was technically a companion, not a sequel, and could be read without reading the first one, so that's what I did. Therefore, without that first perspective, my review may be slightly different than others'.

First off, let it be said that I usually do not like time travel books. I don't know what it is. They just never work out. However, I don't know what it is with this book, but it worked. Not only did it work, but I enjoyed it. A lot. 

It's been two years, and still Alessandra is trying to get over Cat leaving to go back to her world. When the man she has been seeing in secret and hoped to marry, Matteo, ends up marrying someone else, Less is left shattered. This provides the last straw for Less. Then Reyna, the gypsy girl who was responsible for Cat's journey, sends her to the 21st century for Less's own adventure.

Less is not as outspoken as Cat. She is quite, reserved, more concerned with pleasing others. This is not surprising considering the time period she lives in. I enjoyed her transformation from this shy, perfect girl into the courageous and outspoken girl she becomes in the end. The transformation was believable. Less is at that age where she is finding and coming into herself, no matter which century she happens to do that in. 

I also liked how the author kept Cat as one of the main characters. I don't know her complete story, obviously, but I learned enough to keep my in the loop. The author continues her love story, with Lucas. Cat is still guarded, not wanting to give herself over to the feelings she has for Lucas. But she learns to open herself up, and ends up with her own happy ending.

And okay, let's talk about Austin. Totally swoon-worthy. Hidden behind his tough guy exterior, Alessandra and he do not get off to a great start. In fact, Less thinks she can't stand him. But as they both open themselves up to each other, they both begin to find themselves. Less becomes more daring and adventurous, and Austin thaws out. Now, I'm not one for much romance, but I loved Alessandra and Austin.

I loved the whole dynamic of this book. A Tale of Two Centuries is such a cute, fun read. Although it does probe into deeper issues, it is still light. I've found that a lot of YA books can be superficial, but this one isn't. Although at first it didn't seem like my kind of book, I loved it. I will definitely be trying to get my hands on My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century. I would definitely recommend this book. And guess what? It comes out today. So go get it ;)

I was provided an eARC by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel Harris:

Website | tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads