Lexi's Pathetic Fictional Love Life

by Jo Noelle

Lexi Middleton has been socially invisible to her classmates, but starting her junior year, that’s going to change. First, she’s determined to hook a boyfriend, ensuring dates with flowers and possible kisses on the doorstep. Second, she wants to be a writer for the school paper, even though it freaks her out to think of everyone judging her by her punctuation and metaphors.

High school is difficult enough—keeping up her grades, dealing with increasing sibling rivalry, and trying to stay out of the way of her personal nemesis, Amberlee—but when Lexi catches the eye of her long-time crush, she also becomes the focus of mean-girl tactics.

Caught between who she was and who she wants to be, Lexi must decide how to confront a bully, and choose who to let into her heart.

Clean Romance
Intended Audience 13-18 years old

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult Contemporary

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2014

About the author

This mother/daughter writing team writes “Sweet, Swoony Ever-Afters.”

Sweet Historical Western under the name Gemma Stuart

Sweet Victorian & Regency Time Travel under the pen name Jo Noelle, who a USA TODAY bestselling author

Sweet Contemporary under the name Evee Tuttle.

They write stories about the places they’ve lived, the places they’ve visited around the world, and the places still on their bucket lists.

Follow us on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub to get notices for all our new releases!

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Reviews

[CCAM&GZM · Rating 4 out of 5]

What attracted me first to this book was the title. The reason? The word “pathetic”. This is because in contemporary language is used almost exclusively in the negative sense, pejorative meaning piteous, useless. The "positive" meaning that indicates a passion, a strong emotion, pathos that causes tenderness is forgotten almost entirely (see Beethoven's Sonata Pathethique). I was delighted to discover that Lexi’s life is not miserable, even if sometimes even she thinks that, but one full of passion.

I read the book with great pleasure, enjoying myself with not one but two sweet stories. The two stories entwine, support and complement each other. The "fictitious" characters overlap with the "real" ones and the events that occur in the course of a story will affect the other. Probably the strained advices will help those young people who want to try their own quill.

The characters, though most commonly found in a YA romance, have substance, are varied and enjoyable and play very well the role that author have been granted to them. They manage to not give the reader the impression of clichés. It may be worth mentioning that one of the male characters ties the score for the “good boys” in their match against the “bad boys”

Albeit there is no real "love drama", there are conflicts, attractions, disappointment and hurt or unsuspected feelings, which together create an excellent guide for those at the school age and first love experiences, but also for those who considered themselves already worn-in in “heart affairs”.

Humor is present, the sincerity towards herself and the way in which Lexi sees and examines her life contributes to the pleasure that I felt while reading the book. Occasionally the naivety manifests, but it is felt naturally, without contradicting the course of events or the character, preventing her to see the forest behind the trees and creating new problems.

As I am a reader who passed the YA age, I read the book with pleasure and I will certainly give it to my daughter. To you, I can only recommend it. Enjoy!

http://www.mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/...

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love some good high school drama and this one hit the mark! Lexi considers herself an average teenager. Her younger sister, Tifani, has just started high school with her and is already way more popular--she's a cheerleader and has tons of friends. Lexi's friends are Tillie, Asha, Riker and Gabe. She has a crush on Brendon Michaels and is writing a story with the main characters based on each of them.

There's a lot to this story! Lexi gets to know Brendon better, has some run-ins with mean-girl Amberlee, deals with the sibling rivalry she has with her sister, gets closer to a friend and is surprised that she likes him more than she realized, and finds her voice through writing. There's a secondary fictional story that is being told, which is just as fun to read as Lexi's story, and her teacher gives her great advice on ways to make it better.

I loved her friends, especially Tillie. There's also a fun romance with someone she never looked at that way and I loved their scenes together. I kept wanting her to open up to him, but I remember being that age and that can be difficult to do. It seems obvious to the reader which boy Lexi should go for, but I thought it was realistic that she went back and forth for a while. There are characters that I didn't like and I thought they added to the story. One of Amberlee's actions ends up backfiring on her, which is always satisfying to read. At times, I didn't like her sister Tifani and something she did led to confrontation between them which helped them to clear the air and have a heart-to-heart discussion.

Lexi learns a lot about herself and her friends throughout this book and I enjoyed it! This is a fun, clean read which I would feel comfortable recommending to teens. I look forward to reading more books by this author!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely caught up in and fascinated by this story. Lexi is a very studious girl who feels that every dream she has is snatched out of her hands by her younger, more popular sister, Tifani. Lexi has a fantastic group of friends, who have been there for one another for years. I loved how individual each member of this group is, yet how united they are in purpose.

Lexi is a very creative girl, as you can read from the excerpt below. The story was interspersed with a story that Lexi was writing for a class. It was very creative and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the story of her life. Lexi has a lot to offer and I thought she sold herself short too often. She has all these dreams that she thinks burst right before her eyes, yet if she really opened her eyes, she'd see she has more than she realizes. I enjoyed the relationship Lexi had with Tifani. Definitely not perfect, but real.

There were some really great characters in here--characters I loved and characters I hated. There was one guy that I was really swooning over and their moments together were spine-tingling and so romantic. Jo Noelle really knows how to right a clean, romantic situation! I'll definitely be watching for more by this author.

Content: kissing; some mean girl situations; Clean!

*I received a copy from the tour host in exchange for an honest review*

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four or five chapters in, I realized I'm going to have to give this one a pass. The writing is decent and the main character engaging, but that's kind of the problem. Lexi is too weak and too vulnerable to make this story enjoyable for me. It doesn't help that entire swathes of the setup just don't work. I'll illustrate. To accept this story, you have to accept a teacher who likes her writing enough to encourage her to join the school newspaper but is negligent enough to leave Lexi entirely at the mercy of the girl who obviously hates her. This teacher is the newspaper advisor, mind, so these are things she should see—like when Amberlee (the hater) switches photos from the one approved and acts like she didn't. This is exactly what advisors are for so I'm being simultaneously asked to approve this teacher for her encouragement of Lexi and apparently not notice that she's completely oblivious to the bullying going on under her watch as well. So she's engaged but also not engaged. Doesn't work.

I'm also not a fan of the sub story Lexi is writing. We're treated to vast tracts of her writing and it's both too polished for an until-now untutored young writer and too obviously an emotional fantasy stand-in for someone who works with teens daily not to perceive. Which again breaks the heart-warming I feel I'm supposed to have for this teacher. Though now I think on it, it does reinforce what a crap teacher she is for being oblivious to the obvious happening right under her nose. Which would mean that Lexi is trusting someone inherently untrustworthy. Which, no. Just no.

Also, I kind of hate that as a device. The story told by a character thing, I mean. There's no win for authors, here, and a lot of opportunity for loss. Mostly because you have limited possibilities
a) the reader likes both the internal and the external stories but keeps being torn from one to join the other. Disorienting.
b) the reader likes one story more than the other and is continually being jerked out of the one they're engaged with. This is the most likely.
c) the reader hates both stories in which case why keep reading?

So yeah, I know Lexi probably gains some empowerment by the end. That's probably the point of the story. But I don't like seeing weak people bullied, or even casually hurt or humiliated, and I can see there being a lot of that along the way. Since the author cheats to get there, it felt like I was being asked to be complicit in that bullying insofar as I was asked to accept the premise of a popular girl bully being both the head cheerleader and the managing editor of the school newspaper. It'd be interesting to see how common that really is, but I'm willing to bet a Venn Diagram of that intersection would have a nearly imperceptible join. Add a professionally negligent advisor and I'm just not willing to invest in that story.

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS

It is hard enough having a sister who is only two years younger than you and worse still, if that sister is more accomplished than you. Lexi's sister, Tifani, seems to be perfect and anything she tries or does just comes naturally. Lexi has some serious self-esteem issues that she really needs to work out since what she thinks are faults turn out to be qualities that are excellent traits to have. There seems to be several sub plots at work here. She thinks she has finally found her calling as a writer but when she is asked to join the school newspaper, she compares herself to all the "perfect" girls and doesn't think she measures up even though she is a wonderful writer. You see samples of her writing (a story within this story) that are really great. Amberlee, the requisite antagonist and mean girl, is always pushing Lexi and sometimes that goes a bit too far for me.

I was glad that the relationship between Tifani and Lexi was painted as a true sister relationship with both love and hate. That really rang true. We are also given a taste of a high school crush that was just too adorable for words. I really enjoyed this clean slice of life with a bit of romance and teen dreams. I recommend this for even younger teens that want something different and are looking for a bit of creative writing insight.

Here is an excerpt of Lexi's story that she works on in the book:
This party is like hundreds of parties young models are contracted to attend. We provide the ornamentation to the center of the room. The clothes and jewelry are themselves works of art, and we are the canvases which give them display. It’s an art exhibit, appropriate for Halloween, of medieval torture and monsters. Everyone on the guest list dressed according to the theme for the evening. No fangs or fake widow’s peaks, but plenty of black.
At eighteen, you don’t expect your nightlife to include the gray-haired set. Friends my age are hitting nightclubs and meeting new lips. I take these jobs anyway because of all the connections I make, furthering my career. It’s not like I’m going to live forever, and in this career, you take jobs whenever you can, before your youth grows dull and your smile wrinkles. But modeling is kind of a pre-career to my real hope of designing. There’s a plan to all of this. I’ll start learning the business, making contacts and money, then I’ll finish design school. It’s not like modeling is a long-term option anyway, but these events allow me to study the lines and colors of fashion.
Chastelle Alexander and Cosmina are designers, both showing gowns at this event. I haven’t met either one—probably won’t, we’re in very different circles—but I’m getting to know them through their designs, studying the drape and cut of the bodices or the shape of the silhouette from shoulder to hem.
I’m paid to mingle, to show the gown to as many people as possible while holding small talk. My agent ushers me between groups, making introductions like we’re speed dating in groups. When we move away, she comments about adjustments to make in my posture, stride, or conversation, much like a coach would do during a game to improve the performance of his players. A very seasoned coach, one who is used to winning, demanding and impatient. Then we mix again and try the new “play” on the next group.
After several rounds, we take a break and get a drink.
“Who are you?” Tingling sensations ramble across my scalp, making my brain instantly awake. I look around, but see no one close enough to whisper to me. The words are simple but seem to ask not just who I am, but who am I to the speaker. My heart burns a bit as the memory of the phrase loops again and again. I continue searching the room for a face I should know by the longing in his request.
Following my agent across the room to another refreshment table, I’m reluctant to move away from the voice without discovering the speaker. Maybe I’ve imagined the words—that makes more sense than to think they were spoken by no one near me. Yeah, I’m crazy.
As I lift a macaron to my lips, I hear his voice again. When love is not madness, it is not love. Chills raise bumps on my arms, and I drop the treat back to my plate and look around. The unexpected words thrill my emotions and make my heart pound. The conversations around me continue casually. Everyone is engaged in the business of making connections. Scanning the room, I catch glimpses of a photographer traveling the periphery of the crowd, taking candid photos. My mind seems to settle on his face and eyes. My heart leaps, and I ache to walk across the room.
“Back to work,” my agent prompts, and we begin working the crowd. Shifting my weight or turning my shoulders allows me to look past present company and watch him. When my attention is my own, between introductions, I follow his movement. Each time our eyes meet, my heart pounds with blissful uncertainty, passion drawing me toward him. But another equally disturbing feeling, maybe danger, repels me with the same intensity. Forward and back, my emotions parry against both restraints.
He’s young, maybe twenty, with rippling blue eyes that make his face stand out in a room filled with beautiful people. The invisible pull between us turns me toward him, now on the other side of the room. How odd how I know where he is without really watching him. Do I know him from somewhere?
He looks as if he is watching me intently though through his camera lens. An answer floats quickly back, “Soon,” setting off a tempest in my stomach.
Has he worked for the agency at some other event? No, I’m certain I would have noticed him before, though his familiarity to me now is unnerving, as if he’s imprinted on my soul.
A couple in their mid-forties approaches us. The woman is Cosmina, whom I recognize as the founder and designer of Dark Culture Chic Fashions—and she looks it, although she is one of the few women not wearing a black dress. Hers is deep red, the color of fresh blood. The fitted top has a low, sleeveless, boat-necked bodice and a tight, mermaid-style skirt. Beaded clusters of black flowers are strewn along the top, with a black widow occasionally scattered through the motif. As the clusters trail toward the bottom, spiders gradually overcome the design until only a random flower is thrown in among their mass. The webbing of her bib necklace is accented with black diamonds and rubies, creating a cascading vine pattern. She definitely understands Gothic trends in style; regal yet understated, alluring yet fresh, glamorous and eerie.
“Cosmina, we’re honored to be included in this year’s charity event.” My agent offers her hand and then gestures to me. “This is my newest model, Lina, but one with a bright future.”
“Your dress is stunning,” I breathe with admiration.
“Thank you.” She doesn’t say another word, though her gaze seems to be appraising me. I should be used to this after all, that’s the career. Each job is an audition in making the clothing the best they can be while not drawing attention to myself. However, her scrutiny seems more personal. It feels as if there’s a hint of curiosity to the look in her eyes.
“She’s truly an artist,” her husband, Paul, adds, pointing to my dress. “You’re also wearing one of her creations.” Both of his hands wrap around mine as if I were a friend of the family. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lina.” The warmth in his eyes prods a genuine smile from me.
Cosmina’s gaze attaches mine. “I’m introducing a new line of Gothic prom dresses and wondered if you would work the photo session and runway show?”
Though the question is clearly directed to me, my agent jumps. “Yes, she’d love to,” already handing the designer her card. “Just call the office tomorrow to make arrangements.”
“Until then, Lina,” Cosmina turns to leave. After taking only a step, she faces my agent again. “You may take her home now. We wouldn’t want her tired for the shoot tomorrow.”
A moment later, I see Cosmina and Paul talking with the photographer. A simple phrase pierces my heart, more felt than heard this time. “It is her voice I hear.”
Cosmina nods toward him, and they leave the party.

[Lynnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

High school can be so hard! This story follows Lexi with her ups and downs with her sister, her friends and her love life. This is such a cute story and so funny. I loved reading about Lexi and finding out if her love life was really as pathetic as she probably thought it was. PS, Gabe is my favorite character by far... Such a cute high school boy.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content: Clean


Review to come... struggled through the first half of this book, really enjoyed the 2nd half...

[Sarah Aisling · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the blurb:

Lexi Middleton has been socially invisible to her classmates, but starting her junior year, that’s going to change. First, she’s determined to hook a boyfriend, ensuring dates with flowers and possible kisses on the doorstep. Second, she wants to be a writer for the school paper, even though it freaks her out to think of everyone judging her by her punctuation and metaphors.

High school is difficult enough—keeping up her grades, dealing with increasing sibling rivalry, and trying to stay out of the way of her personal nemesis, Amberlee—but when Lexi catches the eye of her long-time crush, she also becomes the focus of mean-girl tactics.

Caught between who she was and who she wants to be, Lexi must decide how to confront a bully, and choose who to let into her heart.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I agreed to review Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life. I was pleasantly surprised by this fresh, unique YA novel written by a mother-daughter team.

Lexi feels like a loser. She’s never had a boyfriend, doesn’t sit at the “cool” table in the cafeteria, and her younger sister has been pulling the rug out from under her their whole lives. She wants things to be different this year, maybe capture the attention of her longtime crush, Brendon. She definitely wants mean-girl Amberlee to stop ribbing her.

Lexi spends a lot of time yearning for things and people she doesn’t have. What she fails to realize is that everything she needs is already in place. She has a wonderful group of friends, a caring guy who already thinks she’s awesome, a supportive family, and she’s a budding author.

The book offers a ringside seat for Lexi’s journey of self-discovery. The reader gets to watch her deal with typical high school situations (including mishaps, mean girls, awkwardness, and embarrassment) and learn as she goes. This story will trigger memories of the teen years for adults, and showcase events teens can identify with.

The authors hooked me with their incredible writing. I don’t have a lot of time to read each day, but I couldn’t put this down and ended up reading it in two days. I haven’t been this enthused about a book for quite some time. I thoroughly enjoyed their writing style and look forward to reading other titles by them.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

More reviews on my website: www.sarahaisling.com

[Gilisgreen_15kindle.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was almost too painful to read and not for the reasons you think. It was so true to life in high school, that it totally took me back and I cringed through Lexi's embarrassments, pained at her disappointments, and cheered at her triumphs as I remembered seeing and experiencing similar things. Life is so hard, and life in high school is even more difficult. Unrequited crushes, cliques, bullying, sibling rivalry, friendships, finding yourself...these are all issues this book addressed. And it was done in a clean way. Bravo to the author for that. I think my teens would really enjoy this one. I gave it a 4.5. I wanted to give it a 5, but the side story Lexi was writing, while amazing in imagery and detail and entertaining, was a distraction for me. I even skipped a few of those segments because I couldn't wait to get back to the real story of Lexi, Blake, Gabe, and Tifani. It sucked me in and I had to know how it was going to end for her and Gabe. You'll laugh. You'll cringe. You'll sigh. I couldn't believe her sister could be so unfeeling and caught up in herself that she would go after her own sister's boyfriend. I had a hard time liking her. I wonder if and how my opinion of Tifani would change if I read a story from her perspective. Where were their parents (or even the school newspaper advisor. The bullying would have been cut way back if she had been present.) during most of the book? They maybe made an appearance as often as parents in other books, but for some reason I felt their absence more in this one. Perhaps it's because I would want to talk with my teen through her troubles and offer advice or a listening ear. I had a hard time liking Amberlee, too. I know that was the point, but she was so good at being a bully that I wanted to scream at the injustice of it all. I love the cover of the book! I think it would attract teen readers. A few minor typos. This one is High School Musical meets A Cinderella Story meets Twilight or something. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

[L_manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexi Middleton has a very wonderful life...in her mind. In real life she feels like an outcast, especially compared to her perfect sister. Lexi retreats to the world where she writes characters that live out the fantasies she imagines. When reality and her creations start to collide though, Lexi finds out that sometimes things don't always work out the way you thought they would. Sometimes the boy of your dreams is is not what he seemed, and the boy next is something more. Lexi will have to navigate it all if she's going to survive high school.

Lexi is a fun gal. Someone I'd probably be friends with. She has a tight group of friends who have been there for her through thick and thin. Included in this group is her very best friend Gabe. Gabe and Lexi just get each other even though they are so different. Things have been a little weird lately though. They rest of their group and been acting strange and asking weird questions to Lexi and Gabe. Lexi may not have gotten what was going on, but I sure did. It was still super fun to watch Lexi slowly work through what she really wants. Lexi was interesting in that she was able to show remarkable cluelessness and maturity almost simultaneously. She's very into a boy in her classes, but she processes everything that goes on with him rather well for the most part.

One major plot point deals with Lexi and her sister Tifani. They are almost complete opposites. Lexi sees Tifani as always trying to take what she has, and in some ways that seems to be true. However, I wish Lexi had taken more ownership for her own behavior towards her sister as well. I mean, she wasn't exactly blameless. Overall Lexi had a problem with communication. I feel like she did learn and grow some through the book though. Once I got into this story I didn't want to stop. In some ways it's almost two books in one- the story about Lexi and the story written by Lexi. If you want a fun yet sweet read, check this one out.

Book provided for review.

[Lynda Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexi, a junior at Red Rock High School, has made a fine art of going unnoticed, while her younger sister Tifani has just started high school and is already in the "cool" crowd. In fact, Tifani does everything better than Lexi and gets everything that Lexi wants, and Lexi is starting to resent it: "My wishes equal her life." Throw in an arch-nemesis in the form of cheerleader Amberlee, and Lexi is in for a pretty tough time. Nevertheless, Lexi has a list of things she wants to accomplish this school year, which include having a date to a dance and getting noticed. She daydreams about the quarterback, Brendon, oblivious to the feelings of her long-time friend Gabe. Then Gabe asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to save him from unwanted attention from other girls. But what happens when Lexi actually starts falling for him? Along with a position on the school newspaper and her creative writing class with Ms. Danou, things start looking up. And who knows, Lexi might even get her wish after all.

This is a multi-layered story full of bullying, sibling rivalry, friendship, and romance, with a few writing tips thrown in along the way. Lexi's voice is fresh and humorous, and I loved her interactions with her friends Tillie, Asha, Riker, and Gabe. Lexi's real life story is interspersed with fragments of her fictional paranormal story. Her English teacher gives her plot pointers which cleverly translate to Lexi's real life situations.

A very satisfying read that will leave you with a smile on your face.

I received this book in return for an honest review.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book started out slow and I had a hard time getting into it, but about 1/3 of the way in the story really picked up and I liked the rest of the book.

Lexi is the girl who gets amazing grades (and ruins the curve for everyone else) and has the same group of amazing friends she has had since grade school. Anything else she has ever wanted has been usurped by her younger sister Tifani. Lexi is a Junior and Tifani is now a Freshman and so they go to high school together - and whatever Lexi wants, Tifani gets. And if Tifani doesn't take it from her, Lexi's enemy Amberlee ruins it for her.

Lexi loves to write and is writing a story loosely based on some of the people she goes to high school with. She has an amazing teacher who is helping her to make her story better. But Lexi is finding it hard to write a love story when she's never had one of her own. So when best friend Gabe asks her to pose as his girlfriend, it seems like a good idea... until she overhears one of Gabe's conversations. Meanwhile her longtime crush Brendon seems to be interested in her, and mean-girl Amberlee seems intent on ruining her. And she has hit a dead end with her story.

It was fun to watch Lexi work through some of her insecurities and realize that she was in charge of her life instead of a victim. She also learned that no one can take anything that really matters from you... unless you let them. And that you can take anything bad and turn it into something good.

Content: Clean
Source: Review copy (opinion is 100% my own)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fun and cute read that took me back to high school days. I think my daughter will love this, so it is going right from my night stand to hers! Lexi has always been more of a people watcher than a member of the in crowd. She decides that her junior year she is going to really live life. Dances will be with dates and flowers! Not just hanging out with her group of friends. Throw in the memorable high school must haves--queen bee cheerleader, jock whom everyone has a crush on, quirky teachers, sibling rivalry and mean girl antics when you get in there way--and you end up with a fun trip down high school memory lane!
I like that Lexi was able to push her boundaries while still staying true to who she was. I liked the romance elements, too. She has always crushed on the popular jock--who didn't in high school! Now she has the opportunity to really get to know him and she becomes the target of the mean girls. I loved the way Amberlee was written. I think I knew several girls like her in high school! The way Lexi's story was woven through the story was a great idea. It added a lot to the story. I will definitely look for more books my Jo Noelle.
language: clean, heat level: mild

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life by Jo Noelle was a cute YA romance book. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a little different than most books, which is nice to get something fresh and different. I thought that there was so good humor and drama in this story. I liked that this book was more “real” then most YA books are. Most YA books have the main guy super good looking that is super rich. This one had good looking popular people (the stereo-type) but then also just normal. She starts discovering how good looking her best friend Gabe is but he was in a not obvious to everyone kind of way. Her friends were a fun group of people with different quirky personalities. The villain in this story was a bit extreme at times, but sometimes high school kids can be ruthless. Her sister, Tifani, was a helpful character in the story line. I enjoyed the growth that took place with Lexi in this book. I think teenagers should read this book it shows good values like: standing up for who you are, not conforming, being true to yourself, and having confidence.

I give this a 5 out of 5 stars.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the start of Lexi’s junior year in High School. Up until now, she has always felt invisible. She wonders if it is time for a change. She loves sketching designs and writing. When by an alphabetical seating arrangement, Lexi ends up with her “crush since 8th grade”, Brendon, as a science lab partner, her nemesis since grade school, Amberlee, gets jealous and steps up her bullying. Lexi’s English teacher helps Lexi step up her writing assignment and likes her writing so much she recommends her for the school newspaper staff. There are two problems with that. One, no one but her teacher has ever read any of Lexi’s writing. And two, Amberlee is the editor of the paper and immediately sets out to make Lexi quit the staff position by giving her horrible assignments and bullying her. When Lexi’s best friend since 8th grade, Gabe enters a school wide sexiest legs contest, Lexi begins to see things through different eyes. In her writing class, she puts all her secret romantic desires into her story in her English notebook. Though geared to Young Adults, this book is well written and very enjoyable. It is clean and so entertaining.

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by Lexi's Pathetic Fictional Love Life. I pretty much immediately connected with the character and wanted to cheer her on through the book. I have to admit that there were also parts where I wanted to reach out and shake her a little when she was making a choice I could see was a less than stellar one from a mile away. I have to say that her hero in this one was really, really awesome. Great all around guy. He was so good to Lexi even when she didn't see it. There were also the mean girls and Lexi's siter that was so oblivious, but Lexi was oblivious about her too. There was some definite drama, but I was happy with how everything turned out and who Lexi becomes in the end. I'll definitely be up to reading more books from this author.

Content: Some innuendo, but otherwise clean.
Source: Received through eBooksforReview.com, which did not affect my review in any way.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when you focus all of your teen years on classwork and getting good grades? You end up like Lexi - bullied by the "popular" kids, or maybe just a few of them, and writing a story based on what you wish you had in your life.

This is a well written book, although Lexi's whining gets old after a bit. Sure life isn't "fair" but what has she done to change her surroundings? Not much. However, about 2/3 of the way through she finally does grow a backbone and start taking charge of her life. It is good to see Lexi realizing that only she can control her life and her destiny.

I thought the story that Lexi was writing as part of her creative writing class was well written for a teenager and how it was a reflection of her own life.

An easy, enjoyable read

[Donna May · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read from Jo Noelle. I adored her writing style. I believe that we all have that one person in high school who we just have the biggest crush on, but who never pays attention to us. When he finally gives us the attention we have been craving, or just a glimmer of that attention, we are so blinded that we can’t see anything else – even things that are staring us right in the face. It was obvious to me who Gabe really cares for, but sometimes when you are too close to the situation, you can’t see what is coming directly at your heart. I also really loved the story within the story. Having Lexi a writer was a great addition to this novel. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. What can I say? It's my favorite Jo Noelle book so far, and that's saying something. Each has been very different from the others.

There was something so sweet about Lexi's situation and the struggles she was going through. I did want to smack her silly a couple of times, but those moments didn't last long.

I enjoyed her group of friends and how comfortable they were with each other, going to dances as a group, etc. The friendship/romance between her and Gage was fun. And her fictional life rocked. I loved the way it became a barometer for her own life. When she took control of one, it gave her strength to take control of the other.

Highly recommended.

[Lisa Swinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by Jo Noelle and it's a good one.

I like Lexi. She's reserved, selective of her friends, and nearly misses the best thing in her life in pursuit of a crush. But as this is high school, you can't really be surprised by that. How many of us miss the thing under our noses by looking too far afield for the unattainable?

The high school setting hits the mark. The characters are age appropriate in their thinking and responses. The romance is likabley sweet as are the characters. It's fun to watch all their growth and see how the sibling rivalry plays out.

The YA set and some adults will enjoy this read.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute! Very appropriate for the target audience. I loved the story within the story. The first time I started reading it I was very confused, but figured it out. I loved Gabe. The author did such a great job with him and Lexi’s other friends. Very true to life, it is the “normal” people in high school that get anyone through.
The leg contest made me smile. Oh, high school.
The type casting of the characters nailed high school for many a human. What I really liked was that the author found the sweetness of coming of age. I enjoyed the development of Lexi while she learned to navigate her trials.
Rating: 5 Stars
Content: Clean, sweet kisses
Source: ebooksforreviews

[Sheenah Freitas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hesitant about starting this book. The blurb sounded interesting, but yet at the same, a bit cliche. C’mon. Just look at that blurb! “Mean-girl tactics” “choose who to let her into her heart”?! That’s pretty much any contemporary high school fiction. Regardless of my mixed feelings, I dived right in and was pleasantly surprised!

The book isn’t even really about confronting her bully or realizing who she really loves or sibling rivalry. That, to me, is just great sub-plots. Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life is really about a girl who finds herself and loves who she is and what she has. As Lexi moves on with her year of school, she really blossoms. She floundered for a bit, but I mean, really. Who hasn’t felt lost in high school? Lexi needed to dump everything she loved to really appreciate her own gifts and not take the people around her for granted.

The book is fast-paced and involves a story within a story. I was freakishly giddy about the story within a story. I loved how the reader is able to actually observe how writers implement things they know into their fictional worlds, even with vampire stories. Lexi dreams and aspires to be a writer and her creative writing teacher, who happens to be a legit author, helps her put her story together and asks her some great questions about what should happen next, conflict, etc. It’s this little gem in the story that keeps the whole high school drama thing really fresh.

There’s just one small thing in the pacing of the overall story I want to point out. In the book, the creative writing teacher gives Lexi this advice:

“If you decide to use some of this writing, you have to tell us how it happened and let us hear the people talk about it. Don’t just tell us it did happen. It seemed like you were in a hurry to get it over with, and you took the easy way out. Living is hard, and writing about living is hard, but both are best when we fully experience the action and emotion of them. Give the story more action and emotion here.”

It’s really good advice for any writer. So how does that apply to this book? For the most part, the story felt pretty engaging. I thought I could really get into the mindset of Lexi and how she seems to always see the bad in things and not realize all the great stuff she does have. But there were a few spots in the book where even the authors seemed in a hurry to get to the next scene and left me wanting a bit more emotion or action.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and I found myself staying up until 3 a.m. at one point just to find out what was going to happen next! If you need a break from all the series out there and just want something quick and cute to cleanse your reading palate, this is the book for you!

Recommendations
People who are thinking about writing as a career. The book is filled with some solid writing advice and I love love love how a reader can observe how a writer takes pieces of her life and implement it into a story. I feel like people are always told, “Write what you know,” but always take it too literally and think that means they can’t write about the fantasy aspect. But this book showcases the whole “Write what you know” for the fantasy/paranormal future writers and shows how to use that advice in a great way. And I think fans of Mean Girls would enjoy this. It has a touch of that.

Last Words
There’s something about the bully, Amberlee, that I felt was a bit too mean? At one point she garnered some sympathy points from me, but then that turned completely on its head. I guess I just wish there could have been a bit more Lexi-Amberlee communication on a more human level (or even frenemy level) to see what was going on with her and why she seemed to feel so threatened by Lexi.

[Sandra Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy for an honest review.

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It was pretty nifty how the author actually intertwined two stories, her real life along with her paranormal story for her writing class. I loved how her teacher's advice seemed to coincide with her real life dilemmas. School is rough, and watching Lexi go through it brought back so many memories, good and bad. This story truly depicts high school angst and drama. There is a little of everything sibling rivalry, bullying, friendship, and romance of course. Gabe was a such a sweetheart and I am so glad they were able to figure out what they meant to each other. This is truly a wonderful read and will definitely leave you feeling satisfied.

[Daiane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is personally one of my favorites because it's more of my genre type. It's such a cute,flirty and fun book to read. I would consider this book to be a contemporary book. One of the reasons why I picked out this book to read and review is probably because of the color because it is pretty gorgeous. I am completely in love with it! Besides the cover, the synopsis of the book really caught my attention as well. The story didn't disappoint me at all, it was as I expected it would be. There was just something missing from the story that would have made it better. Overall, I really liked the main character and I would definitely buy this book and it's gorgeous cover! This book is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried at first. I didn't know if I would like the book inside the book. And those that read it will understand what I mean by that. But I have to say I loved this book!!! I mean I loved all the characters, well except amberlee. I really thought Lexi gave Gave a little to hard of a time because of her own issues with her sister. I am just excited to read some more stories by this author. This was well written and I can't seem to convey how much I enjoyed both stories! So stop reading this review and go read the dang story already!!!!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun YA contemporary read. It started out a little slow for me but soon had me up late at night not being able to put it down. This was full of high school humor and drama. It was fun to watch Lexi grow and become more confident in herself. I loved the relationship she has with her longtime group of friends Riker, Gabe, Tillie, and Asha. I laughed through the whole book and adored the ending. A sweet high school romance.
Fun, clean, YA read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this story! Prior to this I hadn't read anything by Jo Noelle, but fell into her writing style very quickly. The story of Lexi and her High School days intertwined with her own experience as a writer made for a happy and enjoyable read! Lexi goes through the typical teenage phase of having her eyes on a crush and it not being reciprocated. Lexi is challenged by other students and her teachers to come into her own skin and look at what is standing directly in her face.

[Jo Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexi doesn't even let her closet friends read her writing. But when her nemesis spreads it around the school, Lexi has to decide how to confront a bully and if she's going to own being a writer or shy away from letting everyone know her.
Coming of Age story with a clean romance
Intended Audience Age: 13-17, but other YA fans are welcome too!

[Emily (Heinlen) Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book, but, once I did, I really liked it. I thought the story was engaging and the characters realistic.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story, well written. It was a fairly typical young adult book, sibling rivalry, Lexi's long-time crush, the best friend, the snotty cheerleader. One thing that made it stand out was that Lexi loves to write and her story is written through the course of the book, so you get to read along as she writes. That was novel and fun. What it also did was allowed the author to use two totally different writing styles and two different genres in one book. And it worked.

I will say up front, just in case you need to know (and this is not a spoiler, you'll find out close to the beginning of the book), the story that Lexi writes is a vampire story. So if you are considering reading this book because you know it is not a vampire book, well, it isn't but it is. :-)

I liked the fact that there were no references to drinking or sex. So many young adult authors seem to feel the need to at least mention these two things and I liked the fact they weren't in the book at all.