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Mapleville High #5
The Fake Boyfriend Experiment
Rafe Turner has a tattoo running from his wrist to his shoulder. His hair is a little too long. He doesn't need to rebel, because owning his life is already in his blood. He's way out of her league, for sure, but when Lily Gardner accidentally face plants through the window of his band's practice room, a connection is formed between Rafe and Lily that can't be shaken. When Rafe invites her to jam with his band, Lily knows the mega-talented drummer is exactly what she needs to fix her life. The fact that Rafe already has a girlfriend? No problem. It'll be enough if people simply think she's dating him…won't it? Lily is about to discover that finding her passion is a whole lot more complicated than a fake boyfriend…or two. "Stop, drop and rock-n-roll....Stephanie Rowe has created the new teen queen with Lily Gardner! THE FAKE BOYFRIEND EXPERIMENT gets under your skin, like a pop song on the radio, you find yourself wanting to go back to it over and over!" ~Guilty Indulgence Book Club Books in the Mapleville High The Truth About Thongs How to Date a Bad Boy Pedicures Don't Like Dirt Geeks Can Be Hot ) The Fake Boyfriend Experiment Ice Cream, Jealousy & Other Dating Tips ABOUT THE New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than 40 novels. Stephanie is a four-time nominee of the RITA Award, the highest award in romance fiction. She has won many awards for her novels, including the prestigious Golden Heart Award. She has received coveted starred reviews from Booklist, and Publishers Weekly has called her work "[a] genre-twister that will make readers...rabid for more." Her books have been selected as YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. Author's This novel was originally published in paperback in 2006 by HarperCollins with the title THE BOYFRIEND TRICK under the author's pen name of Stephie Davis. The current edition has been extensively revised and expanded. There are excerpts from other books by the author in the back of the book.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2006
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547 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Rowe
112 books1,537 followersHailed as a "paranormal star!" by J.R. Ward, Stephanie Rowe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty-five novels. She is the 2018 RITA® winner for Best Paranormal Romance, as well as a five-time nominee for this prestigious award. For more on Stephanie and her books, visit her at www.stephaneierowe.com, or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRow....
A life-long reader, she began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult.
Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.
Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.
Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, tennis, dancing, friends, and her amazing family.
A life-long reader, she began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult.
Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.
Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.
Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, tennis, dancing, friends, and her amazing family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 7, 2012
YA is always a go to for a light and fluffy read...
This was exactly that. Predictable. Clichéd. Fluffy.
Lily plays classical piano. It is her life. She hates it. Well not hates it but has lost her passion. On the last day of summer as she is playing the piano horribly she looks outside and sees the hottest guy ever running. It's lust at first sight.
As the fates would have it Rafe goes to the same music school and is the nephew of her piano teacher.... and the drummer in a band.
After she has a big fight with her music teacher she ends up in the same room as the band that’s practising... *ding ding* yep you guessed it. Minus a keyboard player. So of course she fills in and yep u guessed it feels alive again.
The next day is the first day of school after the summer and she is happy to see her friends again. Only they have changed, they are closer, all about hair, bras and the boyfriends they got over the summer.
So instead of saying what she really did over the summer... piano she lies and says she is dating Rafe. So enter Fake Boyfriend number 1.
She tells her friends that Rafe can't take her to the big dance in a month though. Her friends are bummed but want her to come and say that she can take one of their boyfriend’s friends for the night.
Later Lily has a meltdown and tells her parents that she doesn't want to play piano anymore as she has no life. A plan is formed between her parents and Piano teacher that she can have some time off and will play with Rafe's band for fun.
Rafe is pissed at this as his girlfriend is the keyboard player that he has to fire at his aunt's request. (he has shit going on his life as well but I'll let you read about that.)He flat out tells her that he's pissed and that he has a girlfriend so that she doesn't get the wrong idea. So she flat out tells him she has a boyfriend. Enter fake up boyfriend number 2.
So yeah the story goes from there...
I just didn’t “feel” Rafe’s attraction or love. Or Lily’s for that matter. It was Meh. A quick light read not all that stimulating but still enjoyable when you have a few spare hours
This was exactly that. Predictable. Clichéd. Fluffy.
Lily plays classical piano. It is her life. She hates it. Well not hates it but has lost her passion. On the last day of summer as she is playing the piano horribly she looks outside and sees the hottest guy ever running. It's lust at first sight.
As the fates would have it Rafe goes to the same music school and is the nephew of her piano teacher.... and the drummer in a band.
After she has a big fight with her music teacher she ends up in the same room as the band that’s practising... *ding ding* yep you guessed it. Minus a keyboard player. So of course she fills in and yep u guessed it feels alive again.
The next day is the first day of school after the summer and she is happy to see her friends again. Only they have changed, they are closer, all about hair, bras and the boyfriends they got over the summer.
So instead of saying what she really did over the summer... piano she lies and says she is dating Rafe. So enter Fake Boyfriend number 1.
She tells her friends that Rafe can't take her to the big dance in a month though. Her friends are bummed but want her to come and say that she can take one of their boyfriend’s friends for the night.
Later Lily has a meltdown and tells her parents that she doesn't want to play piano anymore as she has no life. A plan is formed between her parents and Piano teacher that she can have some time off and will play with Rafe's band for fun.
Rafe is pissed at this as his girlfriend is the keyboard player that he has to fire at his aunt's request. (he has shit going on his life as well but I'll let you read about that.)He flat out tells her that he's pissed and that he has a girlfriend so that she doesn't get the wrong idea. So she flat out tells him she has a boyfriend. Enter fake up boyfriend number 2.
So yeah the story goes from there...
I just didn’t “feel” Rafe’s attraction or love. Or Lily’s for that matter. It was Meh. A quick light read not all that stimulating but still enjoyable when you have a few spare hours
July 17, 2012
This was such an adorable read. Lily is faced with pressure from everywhere, and she just can't catch a break. Parents are enough pressure, but add to it not fitting in with your friends anymore starting off high school and then you can understand a bit of what Lily feels. She makes up fake boyfriends to not only fit in with her friends, but also to hide her growing infatuation with the boy of her dreams who already has a girlfriend. This story was hands down a cute and fun read, and I just adored Lily and Rafe. I even managed to like Crusty towards the end!
September 7, 2018
Actual rating: 2.5
Lily plays piano and has a prestigious audition coming up. But the more she plays piano the more she loses interest and doesn't want to play anymore.
This was alright. I really couldn't connect with the characters. Lily was okay for a heroine. She spouted lie after lie. It wasn't my kind of YA.
Lily plays piano and has a prestigious audition coming up. But the more she plays piano the more she loses interest and doesn't want to play anymore.
This was alright. I really couldn't connect with the characters. Lily was okay for a heroine. She spouted lie after lie. It wasn't my kind of YA.
April 28, 2012
I just wanted something quick to read on my Sunday morning. The main character, Lily, plays the piano and so do I. I was interested in her dilemma as a washed-out piano prodigy with no social life whatsoever (very relatable). But, after reading the first chapter I was really annoyed and even frustrated at her constant and whiny "I hate piano. I have no real friends" campaign. I felt as if I was reading through an 11 year-old girl's perspective! This book shouldn't be categorized as a young adult, but as pre-teen book.
The plot was very predictable. No-social life girl meets rebellious bad boy and then girl gets in trouble when her fake two-timing gets revealed (second-hand embarrassment time). AND despite her very fake and shallow lies, the guy still likes her, enough to break-up with his current-girlfriend. Rafe seemed like a man-slut to me, since he just happened to previously date all the girls in the band. Both Rafe and Lily had the We're-tortured-musicians thing going on, but it came off as another teen phase rather an a real mentality. Lily's attempt to rebel against her parents, piano teacher, and just classical music in general made me laugh. She reminded me of a little kid playing grown-up (pardon me for the cliché). Yet again, instead of an actual character development, it played off as the typical "I need to do things for myself and run my own life even though I have no idea how". Trust me, real teenagers do not act nor think as Lily does (a prepuberty little tween maybe).
I felt the plot was not developed enough to give any of the characters, both main and side, actual depth. But that's what I get for reading a barely 150 page book. This book would have been better if the author had played more on the passion for music topic and actually gave time or steps for the romance between Rafe and Lily to build up. In real life, Rafe and Lily's relationship probably would have burned out as quickly as they hooked up.
Overview: I personally did not like this book. The ideas could have had potential, but the 2-D characters and lack-luster plot events made me want to scream at some part points. I would probably read it for an easy read to pass the time.
My blog: hidateen.blogspot.com
The plot was very predictable. No-social life girl meets rebellious bad boy and then girl gets in trouble when her fake two-timing gets revealed (second-hand embarrassment time). AND despite her very fake and shallow lies, the guy still likes her, enough to break-up with his current-girlfriend. Rafe seemed like a man-slut to me, since he just happened to previously date all the girls in the band. Both Rafe and Lily had the We're-tortured-musicians thing going on, but it came off as another teen phase rather an a real mentality. Lily's attempt to rebel against her parents, piano teacher, and just classical music in general made me laugh. She reminded me of a little kid playing grown-up (pardon me for the cliché). Yet again, instead of an actual character development, it played off as the typical "I need to do things for myself and run my own life even though I have no idea how". Trust me, real teenagers do not act nor think as Lily does (a prepuberty little tween maybe).
I felt the plot was not developed enough to give any of the characters, both main and side, actual depth. But that's what I get for reading a barely 150 page book. This book would have been better if the author had played more on the passion for music topic and actually gave time or steps for the romance between Rafe and Lily to build up. In real life, Rafe and Lily's relationship probably would have burned out as quickly as they hooked up.
Overview: I personally did not like this book. The ideas could have had potential, but the 2-D characters and lack-luster plot events made me want to scream at some part points. I would probably read it for an easy read to pass the time.
My blog: hidateen.blogspot.com
June 13, 2013
Okay so Lily Gardner is a piano geek. It's her whole life and she literally knows little of everything else... except boys. She meets Rafe, the nephew of her piano tutor and whoosh! --- insta-love. He has a girl friend though but that doesn't stop Lily from proclaiming him as her territory.
If it was me, I would never lie about having a hottie boyfriend from a rock band. It wouldn't be believable. But Lily's friends fell for it. Unfortunately, things get more complicated when Lily quits piano practice and becomes a part-time keyboardist in Rafe's band (replacing his girlfriend Paige).
Rafe and Lily are into each other but Lily adds a new lie to her list by saying that she has a beau. She meets Les, a football player and a jerk. At first he doesn't like her but finds her attractive when he finds out she has a "boyfriend".
So basically, Rafe thinks Lily is dating Les; and Les thinks she's dating Rafe. Wow.
Soon the web of lies catch up to Lily and she loses both guys. For the love of Pete! It was all because she didn't have a date to semi? Ugh. But Rafe's friend, Chris asks her to be his date. She has fun but is still hung up on Rafe to see Chris as anything but a friend.
The concert the band was practicing for is a success and Rafe confesses to liking Lily too. They kiss and live happily ever after.
It was sweet --- predictable, but sweet. But if it was in real life I would not like Lily. She basically stole someone's boyfriend. Usually in books great guys have girlfriends that they dump because of the new girl. For me, if you really did love your girl you would not be so quick to replace her for some girl you barely even know. But since this is fiction I'll just bask in the glory of cheesy teen romance.
If it was me, I would never lie about having a hottie boyfriend from a rock band. It wouldn't be believable. But Lily's friends fell for it. Unfortunately, things get more complicated when Lily quits piano practice and becomes a part-time keyboardist in Rafe's band (replacing his girlfriend Paige).
Rafe and Lily are into each other but Lily adds a new lie to her list by saying that she has a beau. She meets Les, a football player and a jerk. At first he doesn't like her but finds her attractive when he finds out she has a "boyfriend".
So basically, Rafe thinks Lily is dating Les; and Les thinks she's dating Rafe. Wow.
Soon the web of lies catch up to Lily and she loses both guys. For the love of Pete! It was all because she didn't have a date to semi? Ugh. But Rafe's friend, Chris asks her to be his date. She has fun but is still hung up on Rafe to see Chris as anything but a friend.
The concert the band was practicing for is a success and Rafe confesses to liking Lily too. They kiss and live happily ever after.
It was sweet --- predictable, but sweet. But if it was in real life I would not like Lily. She basically stole someone's boyfriend. Usually in books great guys have girlfriends that they dump because of the new girl. For me, if you really did love your girl you would not be so quick to replace her for some girl you barely even know. But since this is fiction I'll just bask in the glory of cheesy teen romance.
May 26, 2012
This one's a quick, light hearted read about a girl who's giving in to peer pressure and parental pressure.
One thing that struck me is how Lily thinks about what everyone thinks about her. I mean, that's why she got stuck on her "fake-boyfriend" scheme anyway. Are all teens like this nowadays? I surely hope not. I get it that parents shouldn't force their kids to do something that they don't want... what I don't get is why Lily made such a big production out of it. Maybe it's because deep down, she still wanted to play piano... just in a totally different genre. If that's the case, why didn't she just say so? LOL. I wonder about her group of friends. Lily didn't have the most normal life due to her "tour"... and when she came back, she felt left out. If they were real friends, they won't let her fee that way, won't they? They were always in her case about getting a date, a boyfriend and such.. really.. it's all peer pressure and if I was Lily, I'd ditch them. And Rafe? I dunno if it's just me, but, it's seriously not good most of the time to read about a boy who will ditch his current girlfriend for the next cooler girl. Ugh.
hmmm.. i guess this just didn't work out for me... It did have a nice ending though.
April 21, 2012
Ooooook.
This is the a teen romance fantasy. Every teenage girl wants one of these avant-garde drummers with a tattoo! Sure.
But me?
I’m not 13 any more.
And looking at the ‘romance’ story with my 20-something eyes and processing it, I am not really feeling mushy and nice. No. I am frowning at the plot and on the developments. Plus, I am most certainly getting frown lines from the ‘hero’. He wakes about his girlfriend Paige being ‘the best thing in his life’ but dumps her on the spot when he realizes he likes the heroine better? What is to stop him from pulling this same move on the heroine when the next girl comes his way?
Very romantic.
No. Not really. And not even when you are 13-17.
This is the a teen romance fantasy. Every teenage girl wants one of these avant-garde drummers with a tattoo! Sure.
But me?
I’m not 13 any more.
And looking at the ‘romance’ story with my 20-something eyes and processing it, I am not really feeling mushy and nice. No. I am frowning at the plot and on the developments. Plus, I am most certainly getting frown lines from the ‘hero’. He wakes about his girlfriend Paige being ‘the best thing in his life’ but dumps her on the spot when he realizes he likes the heroine better? What is to stop him from pulling this same move on the heroine when the next girl comes his way?
Very romantic.
No. Not really. And not even when you are 13-17.
March 27, 2013
Music and Love, all in this book. I love it :)
Read
October 14, 2013Human testing is so wrong!
August 29, 2013
I enjoyed reading The Fake Boyfriend Experiment. I loved the whole premise of Lily rediscovering her passion for the piano and Rafe helping her do it. I didn't love the fake boyfriend(s) part. I think I would have liked it better if she had just claimed that there was someone else she was interested in rather than a full-on boyfriend (for both fake boyfriends). It just showed a lack of maturity that I found difficult to respect, especially as she began to embellish it. I realize that she was only 15 though so I think that says more about my taste in books than the authors writing skills. Lily and Rafe were great characters though and their connection and chemistry were easy to imagine because the author did such a great job with them, especially as the story progressed. I loved reading the part at the piano bar and the conclusion.
I liked some of the other characters too but I wish they had been further developed; for example, the rest of the band. Angel seemed like she would have been a great friend for Lily and from what Lily would say I guess she was but we as the readers don't get to actually read much of that. More of Chris would have been great too. Although I suppose too much of Chris may have made me want Lily to choose him over Rafe. The character that puzzled me the most was Nash Lyons, the bass player. Talk about a teaser from the author. She introduces this intriguing mystery and then never mentions him again. Who is this Nash Lyons character and where can I read more about him? Seriously, am I missing something? Was this book a sequel to another or part of a series? If so, I might need to read it and maybe add another star if these characters were more thoroughly explored in another story. With Miss Jespersen, the author did a great job of making us dislike her at the beginning and then coming up with some redeeming moments later but the two sides of Miss Jespersen didn't really mesh. Could this insightful, understanding woman in the second half really be the same sour-puss from the beginning who nagged Lily about her clothing, refused to allow her any time for friends or fun, purposefully embarrassed her, and threatened to pull her out of school for more practice time? It doesn't seem likely. Even if she did have some sort of an epiphany and realized the error of her ways, I still think the woman had a lot to learn about teaching. Lily's mom...I have nothing nice to say about her. Lily was lucky to have such an understanding dad though.
The story itself was pretty short. It's difficult to say exactly how short (the page numbers repeated sometimes and the font size on my Kindle for this book was pretty big even at the lowest setting for whatever reason) but the story ended at loc 3050 if that helps you. The rest of the book held sneak peeks at other stories.
The bottom line? I liked it. If this story is any indication, Stephanie Rowe has a knack for coming up with characters worth reading about. I just wish that she shared a bit more about them.
I liked some of the other characters too but I wish they had been further developed; for example, the rest of the band. Angel seemed like she would have been a great friend for Lily and from what Lily would say I guess she was but we as the readers don't get to actually read much of that. More of Chris would have been great too. Although I suppose too much of Chris may have made me want Lily to choose him over Rafe. The character that puzzled me the most was Nash Lyons, the bass player. Talk about a teaser from the author. She introduces this intriguing mystery and then never mentions him again. Who is this Nash Lyons character and where can I read more about him? Seriously, am I missing something? Was this book a sequel to another or part of a series? If so, I might need to read it and maybe add another star if these characters were more thoroughly explored in another story. With Miss Jespersen, the author did a great job of making us dislike her at the beginning and then coming up with some redeeming moments later but the two sides of Miss Jespersen didn't really mesh. Could this insightful, understanding woman in the second half really be the same sour-puss from the beginning who nagged Lily about her clothing, refused to allow her any time for friends or fun, purposefully embarrassed her, and threatened to pull her out of school for more practice time? It doesn't seem likely. Even if she did have some sort of an epiphany and realized the error of her ways, I still think the woman had a lot to learn about teaching. Lily's mom...I have nothing nice to say about her. Lily was lucky to have such an understanding dad though.
The story itself was pretty short. It's difficult to say exactly how short (the page numbers repeated sometimes and the font size on my Kindle for this book was pretty big even at the lowest setting for whatever reason) but the story ended at loc 3050 if that helps you. The rest of the book held sneak peeks at other stories.
The bottom line? I liked it. If this story is any indication, Stephanie Rowe has a knack for coming up with characters worth reading about. I just wish that she shared a bit more about them.
May 7, 2012
Stop, drop and rock-n-roll....Stephanie Rowe has created the new teen queen with Lily Gardner! The Fake Boyfriend Experiment gets under your skin, like a pop song on the radio, you find yourself wanting to go back to it over and over! A new take on the age old crisis of teen angst - The Fake Boyfriend Experiment manages to spin a tale with just enough humor to overcome those hand-over-the-eyes moments that are bound to happen when one little white lie spins horribly, inevitably out of control.
Lily lives for piano. Or at least she did until the summer before high school. While her best friends were having fun in the sun with boys and bikinis and burgeoning romance, Lily was buttoned up in horrible outfits and trotted out to play piano on tour with her dour piano teacher, Ms. Jespersen, AKA Crusty. Returning to school, she knew she'd missed out, but the gap between Lily and her BFF's was about to become a gulf she couldn't breach unless she did something drastic - like invent a boyfriend. Modeled on the hottie she'd seen in the Mueller-Fordham Music school parking lot, Lily spins a yarn that has her friends drooling with jealousy. And apparently it works on boys too - suddenly she's gone from "no thanks" to "yes please"! Of course the fact that Rafe has a girlfriend, is Crusty's nephew and thinks she's ruining his life are just a few pesky details she has to sort through......
The storyline of this lovely YA Romance is fresh and fun. Full of witty dialogue, realistic characters and that type of heart-rending angst that can only belong to the young (and young at heart), Stephanie Rowe knows how to turn a modern Cinderella tale - from geek to chic - into page turner readers will want to read again and again. Watching Lily fight for her right to be herself provides an empowering message without feeling like a PSA you're forced to watch in school. Even better, watching her follow her heart will have you cheering her on, fingers crossed, and hoping she gets that very first HEA!
Not too heavy on the bass tones of teen angst and anxiety, Ms. Rowe knows how to keep it light and jazzy, fun and funky and makes a story that has her readers yearning for an encore!
RATING: The Fake Boyfriend Experiment deserves all Five Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!!!
Lily lives for piano. Or at least she did until the summer before high school. While her best friends were having fun in the sun with boys and bikinis and burgeoning romance, Lily was buttoned up in horrible outfits and trotted out to play piano on tour with her dour piano teacher, Ms. Jespersen, AKA Crusty. Returning to school, she knew she'd missed out, but the gap between Lily and her BFF's was about to become a gulf she couldn't breach unless she did something drastic - like invent a boyfriend. Modeled on the hottie she'd seen in the Mueller-Fordham Music school parking lot, Lily spins a yarn that has her friends drooling with jealousy. And apparently it works on boys too - suddenly she's gone from "no thanks" to "yes please"! Of course the fact that Rafe has a girlfriend, is Crusty's nephew and thinks she's ruining his life are just a few pesky details she has to sort through......
The storyline of this lovely YA Romance is fresh and fun. Full of witty dialogue, realistic characters and that type of heart-rending angst that can only belong to the young (and young at heart), Stephanie Rowe knows how to turn a modern Cinderella tale - from geek to chic - into page turner readers will want to read again and again. Watching Lily fight for her right to be herself provides an empowering message without feeling like a PSA you're forced to watch in school. Even better, watching her follow her heart will have you cheering her on, fingers crossed, and hoping she gets that very first HEA!
Not too heavy on the bass tones of teen angst and anxiety, Ms. Rowe knows how to keep it light and jazzy, fun and funky and makes a story that has her readers yearning for an encore!
RATING: The Fake Boyfriend Experiment deserves all Five Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!!!
July 25, 2013
I usually don't review self-published titles, because the grammar and spelling mistakes bug me to no end. But I actually liked this one.
Lily Gardner spent the summer practising piano instead of having fun. She's preparing for an important audition to enter a piano program, following her parents' wishes. She used to like playing piano very much, but now feels she'd rather do something else. So, her piano teacher arranges for her to play the keyboards in her nephew's rock band.
Lily immediately falls for the guy, Rafe - a tattooed bad boy with a kind heart. Unfortunately, he's already taken. Plus, Lily's friends pressure her into finding a boy to take her to the school semi-formal. In order to feel normal, Lily starts to tell lies - she teels her friends she's dating Rafe, and Rafe that she's dating a football player. At a certain point, of course, things go downhill, and Lily's lies are revealed.
I liked this book because I appreciate romances - I used to read almost nothing else a few years ago. True, the characters here don't have much depth to them. Lily's friends are really shallow - I'd ditch them without a secodn thought if I were in her shoes. Rafe is a nice guy, even though he's a bit of a womanizer - he was together with all the girls in his band! If I were Lily, I'd be afraid of him leaving me for a shiny new model after a while.
On the good side, the concert at the middle grade school when all of Lily's lies are revealed was a nice scene. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. We've all experienced at least one episode like that in our lives, but being the spectator is almost fun.
I'd recommend this book to lovers of YA romance and happy endings.
Cover attraction: so we have yet another girl-whose-face-can't-be-seen cover. I'm not a big fan of those. Plus, we have the extensively tattooed arms of the fake boyfriend in question (I seriously hope Rafe's tattooes are nothing like this, because I find them quite scary). As a whole, this cover doesn't make me go crazy, but it's not that bad, either.
Lily Gardner spent the summer practising piano instead of having fun. She's preparing for an important audition to enter a piano program, following her parents' wishes. She used to like playing piano very much, but now feels she'd rather do something else. So, her piano teacher arranges for her to play the keyboards in her nephew's rock band.
Lily immediately falls for the guy, Rafe - a tattooed bad boy with a kind heart. Unfortunately, he's already taken. Plus, Lily's friends pressure her into finding a boy to take her to the school semi-formal. In order to feel normal, Lily starts to tell lies - she teels her friends she's dating Rafe, and Rafe that she's dating a football player. At a certain point, of course, things go downhill, and Lily's lies are revealed.
I liked this book because I appreciate romances - I used to read almost nothing else a few years ago. True, the characters here don't have much depth to them. Lily's friends are really shallow - I'd ditch them without a secodn thought if I were in her shoes. Rafe is a nice guy, even though he's a bit of a womanizer - he was together with all the girls in his band! If I were Lily, I'd be afraid of him leaving me for a shiny new model after a while.
On the good side, the concert at the middle grade school when all of Lily's lies are revealed was a nice scene. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. We've all experienced at least one episode like that in our lives, but being the spectator is almost fun.
I'd recommend this book to lovers of YA romance and happy endings.
Cover attraction: so we have yet another girl-whose-face-can't-be-seen cover. I'm not a big fan of those. Plus, we have the extensively tattooed arms of the fake boyfriend in question (I seriously hope Rafe's tattooes are nothing like this, because I find them quite scary). As a whole, this cover doesn't make me go crazy, but it's not that bad, either.
April 18, 2012
It's been a while since I read a book that was purely YA without a paranormal twist. And why oh why did I stop! The Fake Boyfriend Experiment reminded me why I really enjoy an escape into the world of YA. I'm an high school English teacher, and as such, I've always tried to read as much YA fiction as I can so that I can discuss, recommend and encourage young people to read. And most definitely this will be one of my recommendations.
The book immediately establishes Lily as an intelligent young woman who is musically gifted. Obviously there are drawbacks to such a gift; it tends to impact on your social life which is somewhat of a drag when you're a teenager!
Lily however is by no means the 'geek' that she constantly fears becoming; rather she is great fun and her story is so enjoyable to read. Her wit and humour was wonderfully developed by Stephanie Rowe, so much so that I scared my dog a few times by laughing out loud.
What was refreshing with the way that Lily's character was crafted was the sense of realism that followed her thought process and behaviour. Her fears, her dreams and her goals were honest and very relevant to today's teens which is one of the many reasons why I think YA is so very important. I felt myself cringing at times as the storyline developed and the plot truly 'thickened', simply because I remember making so many mistakes as a teenager and reacted to situations in sometimes the most random and bizarre of ways. I was able to identify with her; it really did bring me back to being a teenager.
And of course there's the cool and cute Rafe. I hope every young woman gets to meet a Rafe in their lives. He's exactly what I hoped a potential love interest would be for a YA and more specifically for Lily. And once again, what was so refreshing, was that Stephanie Rowe didn't crumble and fall for cliche. She handled and shaped their relationship with creativity and with what I think is a clear positive message to young women.
The book immediately establishes Lily as an intelligent young woman who is musically gifted. Obviously there are drawbacks to such a gift; it tends to impact on your social life which is somewhat of a drag when you're a teenager!
Lily however is by no means the 'geek' that she constantly fears becoming; rather she is great fun and her story is so enjoyable to read. Her wit and humour was wonderfully developed by Stephanie Rowe, so much so that I scared my dog a few times by laughing out loud.
What was refreshing with the way that Lily's character was crafted was the sense of realism that followed her thought process and behaviour. Her fears, her dreams and her goals were honest and very relevant to today's teens which is one of the many reasons why I think YA is so very important. I felt myself cringing at times as the storyline developed and the plot truly 'thickened', simply because I remember making so many mistakes as a teenager and reacted to situations in sometimes the most random and bizarre of ways. I was able to identify with her; it really did bring me back to being a teenager.
And of course there's the cool and cute Rafe. I hope every young woman gets to meet a Rafe in their lives. He's exactly what I hoped a potential love interest would be for a YA and more specifically for Lily. And once again, what was so refreshing, was that Stephanie Rowe didn't crumble and fall for cliche. She handled and shaped their relationship with creativity and with what I think is a clear positive message to young women.
December 5, 2019
What would you do to get the attention of a sexy man that is out of our league? You create a fake boyfriend of course or at least in Lily’s case she does. When Lily sees Rafe she has an instant crush on him, because honestly who doesn’t love a good bad boy? Lily decides to let her friends think she is dating him, while she creates another boyfriend for Rafe to believe she is dating someone. Lily thinks she has everything worked out, but when the truth comes out will Lily lose everything she has or will she gain exactly what she wants?
Lily is every girl, who has created a fake boyfriend or has thought about creating a fake boyfriend, once in their life. Just because someone creates a fake boyfriend, doesn’t mean they are doing it with mean intentions behind it, because sometimes it could be used to make someone seem more popular or it could protect you from unwanted attention. When I read this book, I connected with Lily on so many different levels. She is clumsy, silly, and everything she gets into will have you laughing out loud. The way Stephanie writes these characters will have you becoming best friends with them, and even maybe developing crushes on them as well. You get to see that Rafe is actually a man of different layers, and that Lily’s deception works for a long period of time until the truth comes into light. You will laugh, cry, scream, and want to slap some characters in the process, but this is one book anyone who loves to read good feel books needs to read!
Lily is every girl, who has created a fake boyfriend or has thought about creating a fake boyfriend, once in their life. Just because someone creates a fake boyfriend, doesn’t mean they are doing it with mean intentions behind it, because sometimes it could be used to make someone seem more popular or it could protect you from unwanted attention. When I read this book, I connected with Lily on so many different levels. She is clumsy, silly, and everything she gets into will have you laughing out loud. The way Stephanie writes these characters will have you becoming best friends with them, and even maybe developing crushes on them as well. You get to see that Rafe is actually a man of different layers, and that Lily’s deception works for a long period of time until the truth comes into light. You will laugh, cry, scream, and want to slap some characters in the process, but this is one book anyone who loves to read good feel books needs to read!
May 9, 2012
I had read this book back when Stephie Davis first published this book as The Boyfriend Trick, which I loved back then, now...I LOVED it even more.
Stephanie Rowe did a little makeover on the first book, and the outcome is a Fun, Flirty YA book about sometimes telling a few fibs in order to feel "normal", which is exactly what Lily did. She has always been the "outcast" even among her small group of friends, playing the piano was all the social life she had. But come the start of High School, Lily wants to fit in with her friends who are talking about "dances" and "boys". So she tells a small fib that somehow becomes a snowball of lies. What will happen when the one boy that she really has a connection with realizes that she has been "borrowing" him as her boyfriend?
Oh...young love...never works out the way you were hoping it would. The boy that you are head over heels for, of course, has a girlfriend. And then, of course, you seem to get in the middle of their relationship somehow, which makes her hate you, and him avoiding the feelings he has for you because he has a girlfriend. Ugh....I am tired just thinking about it.
You will get all this and more with The Fake Boyfriend Experiment. All that teenage angst, takes you back to those high school days!! I simply adored it, and if you aren't a YA fan, pick up the book for your daughter...she will definitely GET IT!!
Stephanie Rowe did a little makeover on the first book, and the outcome is a Fun, Flirty YA book about sometimes telling a few fibs in order to feel "normal", which is exactly what Lily did. She has always been the "outcast" even among her small group of friends, playing the piano was all the social life she had. But come the start of High School, Lily wants to fit in with her friends who are talking about "dances" and "boys". So she tells a small fib that somehow becomes a snowball of lies. What will happen when the one boy that she really has a connection with realizes that she has been "borrowing" him as her boyfriend?
Oh...young love...never works out the way you were hoping it would. The boy that you are head over heels for, of course, has a girlfriend. And then, of course, you seem to get in the middle of their relationship somehow, which makes her hate you, and him avoiding the feelings he has for you because he has a girlfriend. Ugh....I am tired just thinking about it.
You will get all this and more with The Fake Boyfriend Experiment. All that teenage angst, takes you back to those high school days!! I simply adored it, and if you aren't a YA fan, pick up the book for your daughter...she will definitely GET IT!!
May 4, 2012
I really enjoyed this young adult book. I love how this book pulled me back to my high school years (which was a VERY long time ago). It was fun for me to read how one young girl deals with the stress her parents put on her to be the best. The pressure she feels from her instructors to be the best. The pressure of not fitting in with her life long friends, boys and will just about everyone around her.
Lily is a great character. She is a typical teenage girl. Just wanting to fit in, but fitting in is has not been easy for Lily. Her friends think of her as a geek. Boy’s think she is weird. Her parents just don’t understand. But Lily is a very strong, capable, determined girl. When Lily finds herself in a web of lies she has spun herself she finds out who her real friends are. But only after getting her heart broke.
Rafe has been dealt a bad hand, his parents are divorcing, he is living with his aunt and he is having issues with his girlfriend. The only bright spot in his life is that his aunt is allowing him to have band practice at her house. Without music Rafe would have nothing.
Reading about Lily and Rafe really took me back.. I loved to watch young love bloom on the pages of The Fake Boyfriend Experiment.
Lily is a great character. She is a typical teenage girl. Just wanting to fit in, but fitting in is has not been easy for Lily. Her friends think of her as a geek. Boy’s think she is weird. Her parents just don’t understand. But Lily is a very strong, capable, determined girl. When Lily finds herself in a web of lies she has spun herself she finds out who her real friends are. But only after getting her heart broke.
Rafe has been dealt a bad hand, his parents are divorcing, he is living with his aunt and he is having issues with his girlfriend. The only bright spot in his life is that his aunt is allowing him to have band practice at her house. Without music Rafe would have nothing.
Reading about Lily and Rafe really took me back.. I loved to watch young love bloom on the pages of The Fake Boyfriend Experiment.
April 16, 2012
This was a good read. I enjoyed how it took me back to my high school years.
Lily is being pushed into something she is getting tired of doing. She deals with depression and stays strong. I truely believe everyone goes through some depression in their high school years. Lily shows you that you can push through it. She does walk away a few times to clear her mind. To me that is better than blowing up. If you think before you act, you get better results.
Everyone one in High school trys to fit in. Lily does what she thinks is best to feel like she is fitting in with her friends.
I think my preteen daughter would benifit from reading this story.
I think this would be a great read for young readers.
Lily is being pushed into something she is getting tired of doing. She deals with depression and stays strong. I truely believe everyone goes through some depression in their high school years. Lily shows you that you can push through it. She does walk away a few times to clear her mind. To me that is better than blowing up. If you think before you act, you get better results.
Everyone one in High school trys to fit in. Lily does what she thinks is best to feel like she is fitting in with her friends.
I think my preteen daughter would benifit from reading this story.
I think this would be a great read for young readers.
May 9, 2012
Gotta Love how lies tend to come out in the open eventually especially when you lie to 2 groups of people about each other and then they all meet and then BOOM everything falls apart and you are left so embarrassed you never want to leave your house. That is what happens in this book with Lily she tries to empress her friends at school that she did in fact have a good summer instead of the lame one she had in reality. Then she tries to feel less embarrassed about the crush she has on Rafe around Rafe so, she invents some boyfriend so they aren't so awkward around each other about her liking him when he has a girlfriend.
It is quite the entertaining read and Lily is hilarious I couldn't help laughing at her and the situations she created for herself.
It is quite the entertaining read and Lily is hilarious I couldn't help laughing at her and the situations she created for herself.
July 29, 2012
On the first couple of pages I wanted to strangle a character. Lily's piano teacher, whom Lily refers to as Crusty, immediately ticked me off. At times she was ok, but as the book went on I just couldn't warm to her at all because of the first few chapters. What she referred to as critizism was just plain abuse. And Lily's mother... was more concerned about living her dreams through Lily. Lily herself wasn't a bad chaacter. She learns to do what makes her happy, but I don't understand how it took her so long to stand up for herself. I liked Rafe quite a bit. He sounded cute, I do love a drummer! I liked the pacing and it was well written. Overall, it was a cute book with a good message, but it's just not for me.
October 7, 2012
I downloaded this onto my Kindle on a whim before we left on a 9 hour car trip thinking it would at least alleviate some of the boredom while my husband drove. I did not expect to groan when it was my turn to drive and I had to put it down for a few hours. When we switched off again, I grabbed my Kindle like an addict so I could finish it.
A delightful story with a lovely heroine. She's flawed, she lies, she wants so much to break out of the glass walls surrounding her, she makes poor choices and suffers for them. On the way, Lily learns the importance of being true to herself and finds a renewed passion for her music and love along the way. It was such a joy watching her develop, to come into her own, and learn from those mistakes.
Brilliant story, one I know I'll read again
A delightful story with a lovely heroine. She's flawed, she lies, she wants so much to break out of the glass walls surrounding her, she makes poor choices and suffers for them. On the way, Lily learns the importance of being true to herself and finds a renewed passion for her music and love along the way. It was such a joy watching her develop, to come into her own, and learn from those mistakes.
Brilliant story, one I know I'll read again
August 2, 2012
This was a really cute read. A great book for teens, parents of teens and people who work with teens. It is a eye opener to how teens deal with their feelings. Although, Lily seems to be overwhelmed with everything at once. Being a child prodigy is enough but now she has to figure out how to have relationships with her friends, boys, parents, and piano instructor. On top of all that she has lost all her passion in the piano. In walks Rafe. She is absolutely head over heals for this guy who has a girlfriend but still becomes her closest confidant. He helps her find love of music and she falls in love with him at the same time.
May 23, 2016
Hay tantas cosas que me disgustaron que empezaré por lo que si me gustó: el hecho de que hablara de música fue chévere, además de lo rápido que se hizo la lectura, y de lo ágil que avanzaba la historia.Pero me disgustó como la autora pintó a los músicos clásicos, o que la música clasica fuera aburrida, los encasillaba, .Y bueno los personajes eran TAN planos, nunca llegué a conocerlos ni a interesarme por ellos, o no me quedaban claras sus intenciones.Sinceramente el libro no me aportó nada y no fue para nada lo que esperaba, y no en el buen sentido. Creo que lo hubiera disfrutado más si tuviera 15 en lugar de veinte.
June 14, 2013
Una increible historia, llena de momentos interesantes. Me encanto la voz de la protagonista y como puede transmitir la hondura de las emociones tal y como las siente una adolescente. En un momento sentía que no podía dejar de leer pero tampoco podía seguir leyendo porque todo el engaño se iba a descubrir. Era gracioso escucharme decir, no puedo leer, no puedo leer en voz alta solo para sumergir de nuevola cabeza en el libro. Lo debore en menos de una hora, aunque no es una gran hazaña por que es cortito.
Para leer y recordar que se siente tener 14 años ;)
Para leer y recordar que se siente tener 14 años ;)
January 9, 2014
Looking for lighthearted read tonight and found this short novel on high school romance.
Nothing too special, but I did enjoy the music related parts of the plot.
Lily is your typical teenager who sometimes made up stuff to look cool. I really couldn't connect with her friends though. They seem to be not good friends and only after the fun.
But Rafe, oh boy, he sure is something.
This is really quick read, and it really does not delve into anything deep, but it was enjoyable and ended happily ever after,
Nothing too special, but I did enjoy the music related parts of the plot.
Lily is your typical teenager who sometimes made up stuff to look cool. I really couldn't connect with her friends though. They seem to be not good friends and only after the fun.
But Rafe, oh boy, he sure is something.
This is really quick read, and it really does not delve into anything deep, but it was enjoyable and ended happily ever after,
August 26, 2015
I loved this. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was since the main female is just going into high school. Not being in high school anymore I usually get annoyed with the "little kid" drama that fourteen year olds bring to the table. But for some reason I fell in love with this book. Could have been the ink'd up drummer love-interest. Could have been the girl coming into her own as a contemporary pianist. Either way, the music and everything melded together into a great young adult story that anybody could easily fall in love with.
May 27, 2013
The Fake Boyfriend Experiment was truly a surprise. I wasn't sure if I wasn't going to like it that much, but what really drew me in was Lily. Lily Gardner is the craziest, sweetest, dishonest, funniest heroine I've read in such a long time! She's so crazy but determined to find her passion for music again, and Rafe helps he do that, so why wouldn't she be into him. So what he has a girlfriend & he thinks she has a boyfriend! All in all it was so much fun to read, you won't be disappointed!
June 28, 2012
This was a very fun YA to read! I do not typically read YA but found myself sucked in and it simply would not release until the end. I am a mother of a 14 year old and find myself being quite worried over what might be in some of the books they deem young adult anymore and was very satisfied to know I could get this book for her with no worries about it being inappropriate. In fact after I read it I insisted that she read it and couldn't stop telling her how much I had enjoyed it.
July 21, 2012
I never thought I would enjoy a YA novel as much as I liked this one, The Fake Boyfriend Experiment. This delightful story about a young teen girl and her struggles with peer pressure. There was just enough humor in this story to ease the tension. Being the mom of 3 teenagers myself, I feel that Stephanie did a fine job of showing readers, the internal struggle most teenagers have. I would highly recommend this to all young teenage girls.
March 11, 2013
Really! The story was a brief read that was so engaging, I even contemplated on not having to sleep but just settled on reading in a moving vehicle just to satisfy that gnawing feeling of missing in my day. *sigh* The friendship between the four was a relief on a gloomy day that was the motto for a usual bust on lying but alas the friends are true to their late bloomer friend. It was lies, admiration, music and belief all wrapped in a sweet funny moments with Rafe and Lily.
June 13, 2013
This book is absolutely worth the time!! At first I was skeptically because I've read a lot of books like these. However, its the character Lily Gardner that made me finish the book. The characters were engaging, hilarious, and most of all practical. I literally picture myself going to through this myself!!!I loved how the author portrayed the chemistry between Rafe and Lily, and it felt real and believable. Hands ones of the most the entertaining books I've read this year. Totally loved it!
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