From the bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a contemporary YA rom-com where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.
When Sunny Dae—self-proclaimed total nerd—meets Cirrus Soh, he can’t believe how cool and confident she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny’s older brother Gray’s bedroom—with its electric guitars and rock posters—for Sunny’s own, he sort of, kind of, accidentally winds up telling her he’s the front man of a rock band.
Before he knows it, Sunny is knee-deep in the lie: He ropes his best friends into his scheme, begging them to form a fake band with him, and starts wearing Gray’s rock-and-roll castoffs. But no way can he trick this amazing girl into thinking he’s cool, right? Just when Sunny is about to come clean, Cirrus asks to see them play sometime. Gulp.
Now there’s only one thing to do: Fake it till you make it.
Sunny goes all in on the lie, and pretty soon, the strangest things start happening. People are noticing him in the hallways, and he’s going to football games and parties for the first time. He’s feeling more confident in every aspect of his life, and especially with Cirrus, who’s started to become not just his dream girl but also the real deal. Sunny is falling in love. He’s having fun. He’s even becoming a rocker, for real.
But it’s only a matter of time before Sunny’s house of cards starts tumbling down. As his lies begin to catch up with him, Sunny Dae is forced to wonder whether it was all worth it—and if it’s possible to ever truly change. (taken from goodreads.com)
*Before I jump in I want to thank Penguin Teen and Netgally for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinions. *
Sunny Dae is king of the nerds and he’s the first one to admit it. Him and his friends love cosplay and pretending they are living in their fictional worlds. His friends are the only ones who appreciate just how nerdy he truly is. Everything is going okay, until Cirrus Soh comes over and mistakes his older and cooler brother, Gray’s bedroom, for his own. Sunny doesn’t correct Cirrus and instead drags his friends into the mess he’s made.
Sunny is trying to find his place, no one in school looks like him. He’s the only Korean-American, he’s used to standing out but he wants so badly to be able to show his true self to the world, without the fear of being bullied or made fun of. His friends are good, kind people who appreciate and protect each other.
Cirrus is cool and getting to experience American high school for the first time so Sunny shows her around. The relationship that develops between the two of them is genuine, even with the lie in the background, Sunny feels like he can finally be himself with someone who aren’t his two best friends. Cirrus is so used to having to put on a front for everyone, but her relationship with Sunny is one that makes her finally feel like something other than Cirrus the girl that moves around all the time.
This story was fun, sweet, nerdy, unique and a great read. Sunny is a teen trying to find his place, no one in school looks like him. He’s the only Korean American, he’s used to standing out but he wants so badly to be able to show himself to the world. His friends are sweet and good people, they really want to help Sunny.
Cirrus is cool and the only other person in school who looks like Sunny, making him feel more connected to her. The friendship that develops between the two really is genuine no matter how it started.
Then Gray, Gray is my favorite character and I would love a book all about Gray. Gray Dae and his blue hair. Gray moves home and everything is just all over the place. He doesn’t want to be like his dad but he can’t figure out how to be himself. We see him and Sunny try to figure out how to be brothers and even friends, even though they seek so different.
I really liked Gray and I really would love to see him again in another book. This is a book about friendship, love, growing up, family and being true to yourself.