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Dating Sarah Cooper
Katie Hammontree and Sarah Cooper have been best friends since the 2nd grade. Katie's welcoming, tight-knit family is a convenient substitute for Sarah when her distant parents aren't around, and Sarah's abrasive, goal-oriented personality gels well with Katie's more laid-back approach to life.
But when a misunderstanding leads to the two of them being mistaken for a couple and Sarah uses the situation to her advantage, Katie finds herself on a roller coaster ride of ambiguous sexuality and confusing feelings. How far will Sarah go to keep up the charade, and why does kissing her make Katie feel more alive than kissing her ex-boyfriend Austin ever did? And how will their new circle of gay friends react when the truth comes out?
But when a misunderstanding leads to the two of them being mistaken for a couple and Sarah uses the situation to her advantage, Katie finds herself on a roller coaster ride of ambiguous sexuality and confusing feelings. How far will Sarah go to keep up the charade, and why does kissing her make Katie feel more alive than kissing her ex-boyfriend Austin ever did? And how will their new circle of gay friends react when the truth comes out?
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2014
169 people are currently reading
4821 people want to read
About the author
Siera Maley
7 books749 followersSiera Maley was born and raised in the southern Bible Belt. After coming out as a lesbian as a teen, she relocated to a more suburban area and now lives with her girlfriend and very adorable dogs while she works on writing young adult lesbian fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
August 30, 2014
This is Faking-It done right
April 20, 2017
This was afreakingdorable. It really is Faking It in a YA, and was so happy-making my toes literally curled while I was reading. I wish I'd gotten a little more from the plot that went beyond what I've already seen on MTV, but those little shoutouts to all the unhappy lesbian book endings, especially after reading the dedication, were totally my favorite my part <3
December 16, 2016
Loved it, especially the happy ending
September 25, 2014
Katie and Sarah have been best friends since they were both in primary school; they might as well be joined at the hip, each complimenting the other in ways they now take for granted. This closeness lands them in hot water when they are mistaken for a lesbian couple and dragged along unwittingly to the LGBT club.
Although initially puzzled by these turns of events, Sarah decides to take advantage of the situation to get a hot bloke to notice her. Katie, protesting, is pulled along with her. As the story unfolds, they both find the pressures of being openly out an unpleasant new experience - and even more worryingly for Katie, reality and pretend seem to be blurring into each other. How can she figure out what's going on with herself, fool the entire school, and prevent Sarah from noticing the new weirdness?
Firstly I would agree with other reviewers when they remark on this plot's similarity to "Faking It", the TV show on MTV. Although the premise is initially off-putting (and strained!) once the plot starts flowing it is a surprisingly nuanced discussion regarding the perils of coming out, and its effects on one's social circles. One of the best of the subplots involves a gentleman who gains courage from seeing his (supposedly) newly out acquaintances weather the storm. The themes are worked through with a lot of lightness and humour - I often found myself laughing openly at some of the duologue.
It did lose a star for the incredibly forced nature of the set-up. Who pretends to be a lesbian to get a boy? Did I miss a whole chapter in the art of seduction which suggests that's a good idea? I don't know. The other problem was the ending - I am not going to spoil anything, except to say mostly in that section of the book I winced heavily and wished the premise had been pulled apart earlier. Happily it has a relatively happy epilogue, which puts it at the top of my list for young, well-adjusted teens needing some encouragement in a weird time.
So in summary this is a well-written book for young adults that's reasonably thoughtful in addressing certain important themes for people questioning their sexuality. It also has certain problematic elements, which shouldn't stop anyone from reading the book.
Four stars.
Although initially puzzled by these turns of events, Sarah decides to take advantage of the situation to get a hot bloke to notice her. Katie, protesting, is pulled along with her. As the story unfolds, they both find the pressures of being openly out an unpleasant new experience - and even more worryingly for Katie, reality and pretend seem to be blurring into each other. How can she figure out what's going on with herself, fool the entire school, and prevent Sarah from noticing the new weirdness?
Firstly I would agree with other reviewers when they remark on this plot's similarity to "Faking It", the TV show on MTV. Although the premise is initially off-putting (and strained!) once the plot starts flowing it is a surprisingly nuanced discussion regarding the perils of coming out, and its effects on one's social circles. One of the best of the subplots involves a gentleman who gains courage from seeing his (supposedly) newly out acquaintances weather the storm. The themes are worked through with a lot of lightness and humour - I often found myself laughing openly at some of the duologue.
It did lose a star for the incredibly forced nature of the set-up. Who pretends to be a lesbian to get a boy? Did I miss a whole chapter in the art of seduction which suggests that's a good idea? I don't know. The other problem was the ending - I am not going to spoil anything, except to say mostly in that section of the book I winced heavily and wished the premise had been pulled apart earlier. Happily it has a relatively happy epilogue, which puts it at the top of my list for young, well-adjusted teens needing some encouragement in a weird time.
So in summary this is a well-written book for young adults that's reasonably thoughtful in addressing certain important themes for people questioning their sexuality. It also has certain problematic elements, which shouldn't stop anyone from reading the book.
Four stars.
November 14, 2016
I heard this is MTV's Faking It done right. This book is so cute and sapphic. It made me cry a lot. Let's blame it on the election.
Trope: Best friends to lovers. Life doesn't get better than that.
Trope: Best friends to lovers. Life doesn't get better than that.
November 25, 2014
Teenage romance (coming out). Sweet moments but the angst parts affect (in my opinion) the real meaning of love. I'm referring specifically to one of the lead characters. Oh well... stories. :)
I have to say that even though this book wasn't written in a third-person narrative I think it was okay. Also, the ending is nice. However, this time my rating is mostly based on the romance itself and since I couldn't comprehend the love one of the characters felt for the other (due to her actions) I can only give it 2.5 stars for the short nice moments between them and the last pages.
I have to say that even though this book wasn't written in a third-person narrative I think it was okay. Also, the ending is nice. However, this time my rating is mostly based on the romance itself and since I couldn't comprehend the love one of the characters felt for the other (due to her actions) I can only give it 2.5 stars for the short nice moments between them and the last pages.
August 29, 2019
I very much enjoyed reading this story and was able to go through this book quite quickly.
The two main characters, Sarah and Katie, had chemistry together as best friends and even more when together as a couple.
I must agree with the other reviewers, I did not like the reason for them starting a fake relationship together and I almost didn't continue to read because of that. I'm glad I stuck to reading the book though.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-MF
The two main characters, Sarah and Katie, had chemistry together as best friends and even more when together as a couple.
I must agree with the other reviewers, I did not like the reason for them starting a fake relationship together and I almost didn't continue to read because of that. I'm glad I stuck to reading the book though.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-MF
April 5, 2021
I enjoyed the first half of this teen drama, but it faded in the second half. Nice lead characters and a good theme, but in the end it was just ok.
January 10, 2021
This is Faking It done right.
I know that this book was written several years before the tv show Faking It premiered and that all similarities are coincidental which probably makes it unfair to always compare these two.
But there's no getting around it when Dating Sarah Cooper is everything I always wanted from the tv show. Siera Maley shows us how interesting the fake relationship trope can be if it is handled properly.
What a great book!
I know that this book was written several years before the tv show Faking It premiered and that all similarities are coincidental which probably makes it unfair to always compare these two.
But there's no getting around it when Dating Sarah Cooper is everything I always wanted from the tv show. Siera Maley shows us how interesting the fake relationship trope can be if it is handled properly.
What a great book!
April 25, 2019
First off, thank you to Dahlia for recommending this so vociferously that she actually even bought me a Kindle copy of this book. It maaaaay have taken me several years to actually read it, which might not seem appreciative but I am I swear. Now that I've finally read it, we can call it another success for the Rec-ing Ball because Dating Sarah Cooper's really adorable.
TBH though I did worry a bit at the beginning that I was not going to be into this book, because the whole "pretending to be gay" plot at the start feels hella problematic, even though Maley was smart to include a prologue from the ending so you know they end up together (not that you wouldn't know from the description but still). It's just a bit hard to take initially because Sarah's reasons for pretending are so weak: someone assumed we were a couple and the guy I'm crushing on who hasn't really noticed me will think it's hot! Blech.
But once they start having feelings, which begins with a tropey af makeout to prove they're a couple once challenged, the book gets really unputdownable. Katie and Sarah don't always communicate super well for best friends, but I guess it must be awkward to suddenly have a crush on your best friend and not have your usual sounding board.
My favorite part of the entire book was when Katie's parents tried to get her to come out to them through a hilaribad metaphor. I also really loved Katie's relationship with the girl who originally started out their enemy (the lesbian who accused them (rightly) of lying to be a couple; they end up becoming friends (grudgingly), and it's adorable. I would absolutely read a spinoff about that girl.
TBH though I did worry a bit at the beginning that I was not going to be into this book, because the whole "pretending to be gay" plot at the start feels hella problematic, even though Maley was smart to include a prologue from the ending so you know they end up together (not that you wouldn't know from the description but still). It's just a bit hard to take initially because Sarah's reasons for pretending are so weak: someone assumed we were a couple and the guy I'm crushing on who hasn't really noticed me will think it's hot! Blech.
But once they start having feelings, which begins with a tropey af makeout to prove they're a couple once challenged, the book gets really unputdownable. Katie and Sarah don't always communicate super well for best friends, but I guess it must be awkward to suddenly have a crush on your best friend and not have your usual sounding board.
My favorite part of the entire book was when Katie's parents tried to get her to come out to them through a hilaribad metaphor. I also really loved Katie's relationship with the girl who originally started out their enemy (the lesbian who accused them (rightly) of lying to be a couple; they end up becoming friends (grudgingly), and it's adorable. I would absolutely read a spinoff about that girl.
January 29, 2015
Oh my god I'm so giddy it's ridiculous. HOW is it that I discovered this book only a few days ago?
I'm usually not a big fan of coming out stories because I'm way past that point in my life and usually find it boring to read about teenagers.
But this book was such a great surprise! A real feel-good story with sweet mature characters and a lovely romance and a happy ending and it makes me want to run around my house naked singing love songs!!
Dating Sarah Cooper deserves its average rating. The story is really well written, very realistic, with angst that anyone could relate to (strangely enough, I felt like the issue was more about falling in love with someone you think doesn't feel the same, than realising you're gay), and quite a lot of funny moments too! I also kind of love the "best friends falling in love with each other" storyline... or better yet, the "best friends in love with each other for years only realising it now" storyline.
I really will read it again. It was refreshing to read a teen story that was light, but not so light that it only scratched the surface. This book has real, believable and relatable emotions. It's also written in the first person (Katie's POV) but well enough that we understand what's going on in Sarah's head as well, and that's a hard thing to achieve with this kind of narration. So WELL DONE!
I'm usually not a big fan of coming out stories because I'm way past that point in my life and usually find it boring to read about teenagers.
But this book was such a great surprise! A real feel-good story with sweet mature characters and a lovely romance and a happy ending and it makes me want to run around my house naked singing love songs!!
Dating Sarah Cooper deserves its average rating. The story is really well written, very realistic, with angst that anyone could relate to (strangely enough, I felt like the issue was more about falling in love with someone you think doesn't feel the same, than realising you're gay), and quite a lot of funny moments too! I also kind of love the "best friends falling in love with each other" storyline... or better yet, the "best friends in love with each other for years only realising it now" storyline.
I really will read it again. It was refreshing to read a teen story that was light, but not so light that it only scratched the surface. This book has real, believable and relatable emotions. It's also written in the first person (Katie's POV) but well enough that we understand what's going on in Sarah's head as well, and that's a hard thing to achieve with this kind of narration. So WELL DONE!
December 30, 2017
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
If you are after a cute, fluffy f/f story, then this is for you! There were a few aspects of this I didn't like (mostly the lying about being gay for attention) but these were all addressed in the story and weren't shown as okay, which I loved. I've heard of this as being called 'faking it done right' and despite never having watched faking it, I totally agree! If you did watch it and feel cheated, read this. If you want a (mostly) feel-good coming out story, read this.
If you are after a cute, fluffy f/f story, then this is for you! There were a few aspects of this I didn't like (mostly the lying about being gay for attention) but these were all addressed in the story and weren't shown as okay, which I loved. I've heard of this as being called 'faking it done right' and despite never having watched faking it, I totally agree! If you did watch it and feel cheated, read this. If you want a (mostly) feel-good coming out story, read this.
September 21, 2017
Oh my, this was SO AMAZING. F/F #ownvoices romance where the characters pretend to be a couple... and then fall in love with each other/realize those feelings have been there for awhile. BEST fake-relationship book of ever, I swear.
July 9, 2023
rep; katie (mc) is a lesbian. sarah (li) is bisexual.
going into this book i had an idea that it was going to be faking it in book form. the show aired in april of 2014 and the book was published in june of the same year, although i saw someone say it had been written years before? so, either way, it was faking it in book form in my mind. (but no character in this book compares to amy raudenfeld, one of my favorite characters ever.)
it even got described as “faking it done right” and honestly, just because the two girls who were faking end up together doesn’t make it better than faking it, in my opinion. because on faking it, one of the two girls who faked being gay is the actual worst person and friend and i didn’t want them to end up together. (if the show hadn’t been cancelled, they would have gotten together, but ultimately realize that they’re better as friends.) and there was more of a variety of queer rep on faking it, than there is in this book.
anyways, i have to say, this book pissed me off for a good portion of it. it pissed me off so much that i couldn’t figure out why it is so praised and recommended. it only got better towards the very end, so that didn’t make my initial one star rating go any higher than two stars. i’m only bumping it to two stars, because the mains actually take responsibility for and own up to (most of) their shit and learn and do better. that doesn’t change some of the still very problematic things they said and did, as well as the other characters in the book, but still. i like characters having accountability and development.
one big thing i don’t care for was the lack of communication between katie and sarah. they could have avoided a lot of angst and drama had they just talked to each other, which is true for a lot of romance stories. i just don’t get why writers think that not communicating is a universal thing and the ultimate angst. it’s not original or interesting at all.
i was hoping for a side pan character and maybe a trans character, but we only got gays and bis. they were the only “lgbt” people represented in this book. not that that rep isn’t good or enough, but considering there’s both a school club and a resource center, a bit more diversity in that aspect would have been nice and realistic.
ableist language. homophobia is referred to as teasing. homophobia in general is downplayed or regarded as something that doesn’t happen anymore. lots of gay/lesbian stereotypes. fetishization of queer girls is used as an example of queer girls having it better/easier than queer guys. erasure of mspec identity (especially non-bi mspec identity). the effects of people pretending to be queer and invading queer spaces has on queer people is completely disregarded. bi is referred to as half lesbian (“bi instead of full on lesbian”). amatonormativity and allonormativity. the idea that queer guys don’t experience sexual harassment when they come out. trans erasure.
and for people who say “those things you had an issue with are the point! the characters are ignorant on purpose and go through development!” well one) i can still dislike those things, especially when they’re woven into the fabric of the book, rather than purpose writing choices we’re supposed to disagree with. and two) the development comes too little too late. an entire book of bullshit is not made up for by a short moment at the end.
going into this book i had an idea that it was going to be faking it in book form. the show aired in april of 2014 and the book was published in june of the same year, although i saw someone say it had been written years before? so, either way, it was faking it in book form in my mind. (but no character in this book compares to amy raudenfeld, one of my favorite characters ever.)
it even got described as “faking it done right” and honestly, just because the two girls who were faking end up together doesn’t make it better than faking it, in my opinion. because on faking it, one of the two girls who faked being gay is the actual worst person and friend and i didn’t want them to end up together. (if the show hadn’t been cancelled, they would have gotten together, but ultimately realize that they’re better as friends.) and there was more of a variety of queer rep on faking it, than there is in this book.
anyways, i have to say, this book pissed me off for a good portion of it. it pissed me off so much that i couldn’t figure out why it is so praised and recommended. it only got better towards the very end, so that didn’t make my initial one star rating go any higher than two stars. i’m only bumping it to two stars, because the mains actually take responsibility for and own up to (most of) their shit and learn and do better. that doesn’t change some of the still very problematic things they said and did, as well as the other characters in the book, but still. i like characters having accountability and development.
one big thing i don’t care for was the lack of communication between katie and sarah. they could have avoided a lot of angst and drama had they just talked to each other, which is true for a lot of romance stories. i just don’t get why writers think that not communicating is a universal thing and the ultimate angst. it’s not original or interesting at all.
i was hoping for a side pan character and maybe a trans character, but we only got gays and bis. they were the only “lgbt” people represented in this book. not that that rep isn’t good or enough, but considering there’s both a school club and a resource center, a bit more diversity in that aspect would have been nice and realistic.
ableist language. homophobia is referred to as teasing. homophobia in general is downplayed or regarded as something that doesn’t happen anymore. lots of gay/lesbian stereotypes. fetishization of queer girls is used as an example of queer girls having it better/easier than queer guys. erasure of mspec identity (especially non-bi mspec identity). the effects of people pretending to be queer and invading queer spaces has on queer people is completely disregarded. bi is referred to as half lesbian (“bi instead of full on lesbian”). amatonormativity and allonormativity. the idea that queer guys don’t experience sexual harassment when they come out. trans erasure.
and for people who say “those things you had an issue with are the point! the characters are ignorant on purpose and go through development!” well one) i can still dislike those things, especially when they’re woven into the fabric of the book, rather than purpose writing choices we’re supposed to disagree with. and two) the development comes too little too late. an entire book of bullshit is not made up for by a short moment at the end.
March 30, 2018
wow, it's been a long time since a book got me hooked in this way. I think I kind of lowered my expectations for books, but this one definitely brought them up. It's a really cute and funny story, and it is easy to read, which for me is like winning the lottery because English is my second language.
I will absolutely re-read this, and I totally recommend for you to read it if you like happy endings.
I will absolutely re-read this, and I totally recommend for you to read it if you like happy endings.
October 29, 2017
Omg, more people should be talking about this book. Though I was a little uneasy about the premise (two straight girls pretending to be a couple), they end up FALLING IN LOVE which is my ultimate favourite thing to happen in books. Very cute, happy ending, lots of The L Word references. Definitely recommend.
January 24, 2016
Gah, this book was freaking a-dor-a-ble. I've never seen FAKING IT, which I've heard this compared to, so this was all very new and fresh for me and I loved it. Swoony, tense romance, self-discovery, and HEA lesbian-bisexual f/f relationship for the win.
September 9, 2018
this was so CUTE!!! and i read it in a few hours to help me get out of my slump and you know what I LOVED IT AND I MISS IT!!!!
December 2, 2019
fake dating thts the good shit 🥴👌😫😫✨
November 24, 2019
Worum geht's?
Katie Hammontree und Sarah Cooper sind seit Beginn der Schulzeit beste Freundinnen. Wenn ihre Eltern sie mal wieder in ihrem riesigen Haus allein lassen, findet Sarah Zuflucht bei Katie und ihren liebevollen Eltern. Sarah und Katie ergänzen sich in ihren Persönlichkeiten perfekt, die eine eher ruhig und zurückhaltend, die andere aufgeweckt und kontaktfreudig. Die Komplikationen beginnen, als sie versehentlich für ein Paar gehalten und daraufhin in einen LGBT-Club eingeladen werden. Sarah beschließt, die Situation für sich zu nutzen, um einen Jungen auf sich aufmerksam zu machen. Katie spielt zunächst einfach widerwillig mit, doch mit der Zeit wird sie immer mehr in Verwirrung darüber gestürzt, was sie für ihre beste Freundin fühlt.
Meine Meinung
Fake-Beziehungen, aus denen echte Liebe wird, sind eigentlich ein ziemlich ausgetretenes Klischee, doch Siera Maley verpackt es auf so originelle, herzerwärmende und unterhaltsame Art, dass ich den Roman trotzdem sehr genossen habe. Ich war ein bisschen skeptisch, weil ich mit dem Grund, warum die Sarah und Katie eine Fake-Beziehung eingehen ein Problem hatte. Allerdings bin ich im Nachhinein froh, weitergelesen zu haben, weil die Autorin das Thema Coming-Out im weiteren Verlauf sehr sensibel behandelt. Mit viel Fingerspitzengefühl zeigt sie auf, mit welchen Problemen sich homo- und bisexuelle Jugendliche sich nach einem Coming-Out herumschlagen müssen und wie der Kontakt mit anderen LGBT-Jugendlichen inspirieren kann. Mir hat es gut gefallen, dass Maley der Beziehung zwischen Sarah und Katie viel Zeit gibt, sich zu entwickeln. Dadurch wirkte das Ganze wunderbar glaubwürdig, auch dass Katie erst allmählich anfängt, ihre eigene Sexualität in Frage zu stellen. Zwischen Katie und Sarah war immer Anziehung und Chemie spürbar, egal ob als Freundinnen oder als Paar. Die Schlagabtäusche zwischen den beiden haben sehr dazu beigetragen, den Roman zu einem Lesevergnügen zu machen.
Ich würde “Dating Sarah Cooper” jedem ans Herz legen, der auf der Suche nach einer witzigen, lockeren und herzerwärmenden WLW-Romanze ist!
Katie Hammontree und Sarah Cooper sind seit Beginn der Schulzeit beste Freundinnen. Wenn ihre Eltern sie mal wieder in ihrem riesigen Haus allein lassen, findet Sarah Zuflucht bei Katie und ihren liebevollen Eltern. Sarah und Katie ergänzen sich in ihren Persönlichkeiten perfekt, die eine eher ruhig und zurückhaltend, die andere aufgeweckt und kontaktfreudig. Die Komplikationen beginnen, als sie versehentlich für ein Paar gehalten und daraufhin in einen LGBT-Club eingeladen werden. Sarah beschließt, die Situation für sich zu nutzen, um einen Jungen auf sich aufmerksam zu machen. Katie spielt zunächst einfach widerwillig mit, doch mit der Zeit wird sie immer mehr in Verwirrung darüber gestürzt, was sie für ihre beste Freundin fühlt.
Meine Meinung
Fake-Beziehungen, aus denen echte Liebe wird, sind eigentlich ein ziemlich ausgetretenes Klischee, doch Siera Maley verpackt es auf so originelle, herzerwärmende und unterhaltsame Art, dass ich den Roman trotzdem sehr genossen habe. Ich war ein bisschen skeptisch, weil ich mit dem Grund, warum die Sarah und Katie eine Fake-Beziehung eingehen ein Problem hatte. Allerdings bin ich im Nachhinein froh, weitergelesen zu haben, weil die Autorin das Thema Coming-Out im weiteren Verlauf sehr sensibel behandelt. Mit viel Fingerspitzengefühl zeigt sie auf, mit welchen Problemen sich homo- und bisexuelle Jugendliche sich nach einem Coming-Out herumschlagen müssen und wie der Kontakt mit anderen LGBT-Jugendlichen inspirieren kann. Mir hat es gut gefallen, dass Maley der Beziehung zwischen Sarah und Katie viel Zeit gibt, sich zu entwickeln. Dadurch wirkte das Ganze wunderbar glaubwürdig, auch dass Katie erst allmählich anfängt, ihre eigene Sexualität in Frage zu stellen. Zwischen Katie und Sarah war immer Anziehung und Chemie spürbar, egal ob als Freundinnen oder als Paar. Die Schlagabtäusche zwischen den beiden haben sehr dazu beigetragen, den Roman zu einem Lesevergnügen zu machen.
Ich würde “Dating Sarah Cooper” jedem ans Herz legen, der auf der Suche nach einer witzigen, lockeren und herzerwärmenden WLW-Romanze ist!
March 23, 2024
faking it gone right
mto fofo amo quando gays sao felizes em livros
mto fofo amo quando gays sao felizes em livros
February 7, 2017
I was thinking, somewhere near the end, that this seemed like more of a 4 something star book than a 5. By the time the book ended, I couldn’t remember why and thought it more of a 5 star book. If I had recalled and rejected whatever my initial thought was, I could happily mark this a five. As it is, I’ll just put it as 4.5 for now.
With that out of the way I can turn to how I’m not sure how to say anything about this book without being all spoiler-y. I mean, it’s true that the book opens with this prologue chapter that is set, chronologically, about eight months after the start of the book. Not counting the epilogue, the book ends roughly at that point as well. Including the epilogue it ends 2 weeks later.
So – this book involves Sarah Cooper and Katie Hammontree, high school seniors in a small town in Georgia. They are the kind of people you might spot who seem to always be connected at the hip. Have been since at least kindergarten. Hanging all over someone as best friends doesn’t exactly make someone, or two people into a couple – as in a relationship coupling. Though it can be misinterpreted by outsiders (and, for that matter, those inside). That ‘misinterpreted by outsiders’ comes to the forefront relatively early in the book.
Katie, while walking home from school, runs into this big jock guy who is bullying a fellow male student. Katie puts a stop to it. Jake, the kid who had been in the process of being bully-ed, has a severely bruised lip. During the process of dragging Jake back to her place so she can get her friend, who plans to go to medical school, to patch him up (‘She likes playing doctor’), Katie learns that Jake had been bullied because he is gay. Also that he is a fellow senior who she hadn’t recognized.
So, back to Katie’s, Sarah enters the scene and is all huggy, and all over Katie, Jake comes out of the bathroom and sees this and puts 2 and 2 together and invites them to a club he belongs to at school. Sarah’s all excited about joining another club, since it will look good to colleges, so accepts immediately. Jake leaves. Shortly thereafter they realize that they didn’t learn what the club was.
Fast forward to about 30 seconds before the start of this unnamed club – Katie, Sarah and Jake are standing outside a door. I don’t recall what the exact words were, but basically Jake says something like ‘let me go in first, I’ll let them know a lesbian couple will be joining our gay club’ and then enters the room. So, not only is it a gay club, it’s a club that will think they are lesbians. They stare at each other. Then Sarah gets this calculating look in her eyes (okay, I might be making up that part, she did come up with a plan though). Sarah pulls Katie in and they meet the club. Sarah informs them that she’s actually bi, and Katie’s a lesbian. She doesn’t inform them, though, that she’s pretending and is using this to get ‘attention’ from a guy she’s had a crush on since freshman year.
And so, the book unfolds from there. Two best friends forever being mistaken as a lesbian couple, one realizes this is her chance to add ‘attention’ to herself and drags the other into ‘it’. And they spend the next 8 months ‘pretending’ to be a ‘gay couple’.
Now I’m back to not knowing what to say. I figured that whatever it was that was holding me back from giving a five star rating would pop up and I could tackle it. But it didn’t appear . . . so . . .. I liked Katie and Sarah. There situation was unfortunate in once sense and fortunate in another that I won’t mention here. The plot was solid. There was enough of an end-story to fill me in. Though I wouldn’t mind, say, a sequel. Maybe they could end up at college together? And yes, that did pop up in my mind – the fact that one, Katie, planned on going to a local college, and the other would be going to some further away place. They didn’t seem like a high school fling type of thing, but that is left hanging. What’s next?
With that out of the way I can turn to how I’m not sure how to say anything about this book without being all spoiler-y. I mean, it’s true that the book opens with this prologue chapter that is set, chronologically, about eight months after the start of the book. Not counting the epilogue, the book ends roughly at that point as well. Including the epilogue it ends 2 weeks later.
So – this book involves Sarah Cooper and Katie Hammontree, high school seniors in a small town in Georgia. They are the kind of people you might spot who seem to always be connected at the hip. Have been since at least kindergarten. Hanging all over someone as best friends doesn’t exactly make someone, or two people into a couple – as in a relationship coupling. Though it can be misinterpreted by outsiders (and, for that matter, those inside). That ‘misinterpreted by outsiders’ comes to the forefront relatively early in the book.
Katie, while walking home from school, runs into this big jock guy who is bullying a fellow male student. Katie puts a stop to it. Jake, the kid who had been in the process of being bully-ed, has a severely bruised lip. During the process of dragging Jake back to her place so she can get her friend, who plans to go to medical school, to patch him up (‘She likes playing doctor’), Katie learns that Jake had been bullied because he is gay. Also that he is a fellow senior who she hadn’t recognized.
So, back to Katie’s, Sarah enters the scene and is all huggy, and all over Katie, Jake comes out of the bathroom and sees this and puts 2 and 2 together and invites them to a club he belongs to at school. Sarah’s all excited about joining another club, since it will look good to colleges, so accepts immediately. Jake leaves. Shortly thereafter they realize that they didn’t learn what the club was.
Fast forward to about 30 seconds before the start of this unnamed club – Katie, Sarah and Jake are standing outside a door. I don’t recall what the exact words were, but basically Jake says something like ‘let me go in first, I’ll let them know a lesbian couple will be joining our gay club’ and then enters the room. So, not only is it a gay club, it’s a club that will think they are lesbians. They stare at each other. Then Sarah gets this calculating look in her eyes (okay, I might be making up that part, she did come up with a plan though). Sarah pulls Katie in and they meet the club. Sarah informs them that she’s actually bi, and Katie’s a lesbian. She doesn’t inform them, though, that she’s pretending and is using this to get ‘attention’ from a guy she’s had a crush on since freshman year.
And so, the book unfolds from there. Two best friends forever being mistaken as a lesbian couple, one realizes this is her chance to add ‘attention’ to herself and drags the other into ‘it’. And they spend the next 8 months ‘pretending’ to be a ‘gay couple’.
Now I’m back to not knowing what to say. I figured that whatever it was that was holding me back from giving a five star rating would pop up and I could tackle it. But it didn’t appear . . . so . . .. I liked Katie and Sarah. There situation was unfortunate in once sense and fortunate in another that I won’t mention here. The plot was solid. There was enough of an end-story to fill me in. Though I wouldn’t mind, say, a sequel. Maybe they could end up at college together? And yes, that did pop up in my mind – the fact that one, Katie, planned on going to a local college, and the other would be going to some further away place. They didn’t seem like a high school fling type of thing, but that is left hanging. What’s next?
September 5, 2022
had me giggling and twirling my hair like a school girl idc
December 2, 2016
"I've seen enough movies to know what happens when you fall for your straight best friend. I can like girls; that's fine, but I don't want to get my heart broken. I'd like to like someone who will like me back, you know?"
I just love Siera's style and how she writes wonderful F/F pairings. So it was no surprise that I enjoyed this one as much as all the others.
Dating Sarah Cooper is a story about two best friends who are confused as girlfriends by other people. They decide to go with it after being dragged to an LGBT+ club in their school. Of course, after a lot of pinning from each side, they end up having feelings for each other.
This is a funny book with many incredible moments such as supportive parents and the whole 'oh, so kissing girls is actually nice!' moments. But it also has a lot of meaning about figuring out your sexuality and how the world sees LGBT people. The references to F/F fandoms in Siera's books always makes me smile.
A cheesy book with a lot of heart that I recommend to people in need of happy endings for bi/lesbian girls.
I just love Siera's style and how she writes wonderful F/F pairings. So it was no surprise that I enjoyed this one as much as all the others.
Dating Sarah Cooper is a story about two best friends who are confused as girlfriends by other people. They decide to go with it after being dragged to an LGBT+ club in their school. Of course, after a lot of pinning from each side, they end up having feelings for each other.
This is a funny book with many incredible moments such as supportive parents and the whole 'oh, so kissing girls is actually nice!' moments. But it also has a lot of meaning about figuring out your sexuality and how the world sees LGBT people. The references to F/F fandoms in Siera's books always makes me smile.
A cheesy book with a lot of heart that I recommend to people in need of happy endings for bi/lesbian girls.
September 28, 2018
This falls under the tried and true lesbian fiction sub genre of “faking it—or am I”. It’s a cute surface level story to read on a rainy afternoon and not think too terribly hard about. This felt very after school special in parts and I could easy believe it was written by a non-lesbian (though it wasn’t) from how the experiences and actions of the “gay” characters just didn’t ring true but rather what someone without that experience would just assume. Characterization and proper arcs are not here at all (the proofreader also seemed to take the day off) and certain actions and inner monologues make little sense. This also suffers from the problem of a very passive protagonist. Cute fluff and not much more.
May 23, 2020
3.5 stars
Fake dating is the superior trope and this was an example of why.
“Ninety-nine lesbian problems but a pregnancy ain’t one. Nice.”
Tons of teen angst and miscommunication with some very real feelings.
So c starste!
Fake dating is the superior trope and this was an example of why.
“Ninety-nine lesbian problems but a pregnancy ain’t one. Nice.”
Tons of teen angst and miscommunication with some very real feelings.
So c starste!
September 24, 2017
Dating Sarah Cooper is a cute f/f romance. It features both the fake dating trope and the best friends to lovers trope. It's funny, it's cute, and it's romantic. Highly rec.
March 17, 2017
Katie and Sarah are best friends, and for some dumb reason they pretend to be a lesbian couple. That sounds way better than it is, actually.
I just have to say that I loved Katie from the get go. She's so sweet and precious and I wanted to protect her from her crazy best friend 90% of the time.
I also really enjoyed the characters from the LAMBDA club, they are so nice and supporting. The fact that they wanted the school to be a better place for non-straight kids was really adorable. I wish I had a group like that when I was in high school.
My favorite scene is when But when they kiss at the party while playing spin the bottle is so great and I got all these crazy feelings and that was nice.
Now, even though she gets better, I've had a problem with Sarah Cooper from the beggining. She is so annoying sometimes. And ignorant. I mean, I get that she evolves but, dude, can't you just be a little nicer? The things she says about lesbians at first got me SO pissed off. At least it shows how some people think about lesbian couples. Which gets me frustrated and really sad.
Apart from that, I really liked this book, and I enjoyed the ending so much! I'm glad I finished it.
I just have to say that I loved Katie from the get go. She's so sweet and precious and I wanted to protect her from her crazy best friend 90% of the time.
I also really enjoyed the characters from the LAMBDA club, they are so nice and supporting. The fact that they wanted the school to be a better place for non-straight kids was really adorable. I wish I had a group like that when I was in high school.
My favorite scene is when But when they kiss at the party while playing spin the bottle is so great and I got all these crazy feelings and that was nice.
Now, even though she gets better, I've had a problem with Sarah Cooper from the beggining. She is so annoying sometimes. And ignorant. I mean, I get that she evolves but, dude, can't you just be a little nicer? The things she says about lesbians at first got me SO pissed off. At least it shows how some people think about lesbian couples. Which gets me frustrated and really sad.
Apart from that, I really liked this book, and I enjoyed the ending so much! I'm glad I finished it.
June 13, 2016
This is a cute, fluffy book that has a lot of brain candy for people who just want to read about girls going from friends to relationship, and good solid representation for girls who didn't "always know" but whose attraction to other girls snuck up on them when they weren't looking. This is also going to be a comforting book for people who want to read about queer teens with parents who are totally accepting, even in an awkward parental way.
I think I have a low tolerance for high school drama right now, so the whole "everyone is going to hate us!" drumbeat was just stressful for me to read about, and I would have preferred a little more denoument/resolution after the climactic scene instead of just a paragraph description of how the girls are treated after the big revelation at the end, especially considering the whole book is Katie stressing about how everyone will react once they know. I guess I needed a more solid picture of what that wound up looking like--I know they were going to be okay, even if messy-okay, but I wanted to see what that looked like.
I did believe in the chemistry between the two girls--which isn't as easy to pull off as "create two girls who like girls and put them in the same room together", so well done there, Siera Maley--and the book really celebrates the positive energy of girls enjoying kissing each other. Bury me alive in books like that.
I think I have a low tolerance for high school drama right now, so the whole "everyone is going to hate us!" drumbeat was just stressful for me to read about, and I would have preferred a little more denoument/resolution after the climactic scene instead of just a paragraph description of how the girls are treated after the big revelation at the end, especially considering the whole book is Katie stressing about how everyone will react once they know. I guess I needed a more solid picture of what that wound up looking like--I know they were going to be okay, even if messy-okay, but I wanted to see what that looked like.
I did believe in the chemistry between the two girls--which isn't as easy to pull off as "create two girls who like girls and put them in the same room together", so well done there, Siera Maley--and the book really celebrates the positive energy of girls enjoying kissing each other. Bury me alive in books like that.
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