The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris - Blog Tour

The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris 

Release Date - March 25, 2014

Publisher Website - The Studio (Paper Lantern Lit)
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 350 pages
Purchase Link - Amazon and iBooks
My Rating - 3/5
**received in exchange for an honest review from the publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Avery James doesn’t believe in romance—she’s studied enough biology to know that love is nothing more than hormones and chemicals. Besides, she has more practical goals in mind, namely saving up for a summer humanitarian program in Costa Rica. But when her Diggity Dog House supervisor denies her a raise and Avery finds herself $500 dollars short for the trip of a lifetime, Avery has no choice but to accept an unexpected offer. The deal? She must steal her arch nemesis Hannah’s boyfriend before prom, giving Avery eleven days to seduce Zac Greeley.

Avery is sure the job will be easy. But a few midnight comedy shows and spontaneous dance parties (not to mention one particularly intimate carwash) later, Avery finds herself questioning everything she’s ever thought about love. Could Zac’s signature cherry-lime Slurpees be causing brain freeze, or is Avery actually starting to fall for him?

Will Avery be able to steal Zac away from Hannah before he steals Avery’s heart?

A beyond cute premise. A potentially drama filled deal. Mix both of these with some unexpected romantic feelings and you have got a perfect recipe for a classic romantic comedy. The Boyfriend Thief was a nice balance of humour, romance, and drama. It's a fun summer read, even with a few little issues.

Avery's personality is something that consumes the page. It's also abrasive. She's hurt, and this is her self defense. These are the walls she has around herself. It's not that I didn't like Avery because I don't have to like her to enjoy the story, but I do have to understand her motivations. That was my struggle. It was understanding the why behind it all that eluded me. I could have loved her immediately if I understood the why of her actions. There is an explanation, but, I felt rather removed from it as a reader. I would have liked to see a little about Avery's past, and how what happened impacted her in the early stages. The growth she has was rather quick as well, and having it spread out throughout the book might have helped a little with her transformation from a reader's stand point.

Zac is adorable. He's sweet, and unassuming. He's the perfect love interest to contrast Avery's personality. He's not without his own issues and they both have things they need to work on, but he's exactly what Avery needs. The romance was not just about them coming together, but what they brought out in each other. It's my favourite kind of romance. If love shows you something about yourself, and challenges you to be better, that is when it can be truly amazing. Shana brought that out in the slow build up for Zac and Avery. They became friends first, and that made the romance even sweeter.

Perhaps the best part of Avery's story is her family. The romance is the focal point, but her family plays a huge role in her story as well. Their brokenness, and the way they are each trying to cope is uplifted by the obvious love they have for each other. The tension of having their father dating someone new, and Avery's compulsion for things to be perfect, mixed well together. It felt natural, and realistic. I think this is one of the more relatable aspects of the entire story.

The end part of the story really elevated this book for me. While it ended exactly how you'd expect, the growth of the main character, and the focus on more than just the romance in her story made it worth it.

After a bit of a struggle, I ended up enjoying this book. The author made some deliberate choices that end up paying off in the end. Avery, and the book, slowly grows on you until you end up wondering why they hid their awesomeness from you in the first place.

Here is a little about Shana Norris

Most days, Shana Norris still feels like she’s stuck at sixteen, which is probably why she enjoys writing about teens. Thankfully, she’s never had to work as a giant hot dog, but she did work at a locksmith shop making keys for six months. She currently lives in a small town in eastern North Carolina with her husband and small zoo of pets, which currently includes two dogs, five cats, and a flock of chickens.

Also, The Studio (a Paper Lantern Lit imprint) is offering an ebook copy to one lucky winner. Just fill out Rafflecopter below. Good luck!
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