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My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can't get any worse. Then she marries her "husband": jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona's long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer.
Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.
Review:
"I wonder if true love is more subtle. If it sneaks up and just stands there next to you, and you don't recognize that it's true love until you turn and look at this thing that's been right there in front of you all along, and you realize that you never want to be without it."
At one glance, this seems like the typical girl-and-boy-hates-each-other-but-eventually-falls-in-love and I actually expected it to be. From the first few chapters, I expected Todd to reveal an ultimate secret why he's acting like a jerk. This was hilarious and I enjoyed myself reading it. The best part was Sam, the kid Fiona babysits and some of the pranks she did.
Unfortunately, there were two parts where I had to raise an eyebrow.
One is with their guidance counselor, Maggie. I expected her to act like an adult. I thought she'd be the one to shed some light about Fiona and Todd's mutual hate but she acted like some teenager who'd grovel at a handsome boy's feet. How her character acted at the end was also a bit off in my opinion. I understand stress and but I guess I expected her to be composed and not to whine about what's happening.
Second is the exaggeration of the girls being dumb.
"It took several minutes, as many of the senior girls had not yet mastered the intricacies of the English alphabet."
Well I seriously find it stupid to emphasize their stupidity by pointing out their lack of knowledge about the alphabet. I actually don't believe it. They live in America, and they're seniors for gods' sake. I might have understood if it was spelling or maths but this is quite eyebrow-raising moment for me.
Other than Sam, the only character I got to know was Fiona and Todd. I think they bring out the better qualities of each other and I like how breezy their friendship is like. He didn't lose the jerk attitude which is good because it was already embedded in his character and it would be quite weird for him to be suddenly two-goody shoes.
I also understood the way Fiona acted. Actually, it's how minorities usually act when they're used to bullying. Unlike Todd, I don't accept Amanda's reason for her behavior towards Fiona. I know I'm being biased but if Fiona became understanding despite all of it, I would cry bullshit. She was the most real character in the book and I actually liked how the author wrote her.
I definitely didn't expect the end. I was again blinded by the typical formula of boys and girls, but I was okay with it. I actually like this guy. I only wish we had the chance to get to know him more. It seems like the story revolved more around Fiona and Todd that other characters weren't able to develop.
All in all, I liked this story. One of those books I want to read after a stressful day from school.
