What do you think?
The Plus-One Pact: A YA Contemporary Romance Novella
The Plus-One Pact
A YA Contemporary Romance Novella
By Calla Finn
One pact. Zero feelings. Totally doomed.
Tessa James would rather stay invisible. As yearbook editor, she hides behind her camera and beneath her oversized hoodie, perfectly content to let her crushes live in the margins—especially when one of them is her cocky, too-charming neighbor, Leo Donovan.
Leo, on the other hand, lives for the spotlight. Star soccer player. Class flirt. The kind of guy who makes promises he probably doesn’t mean.
So when they strike a deal—be each other’s platonic plus-ones for the rest of junior year’s endless events—Tessa figures it’s safe. Just a pact. No pressure. No feelings. Definitely no kissing.
But the more time they spend together, the more blurry the lines become between fake and something that feels dangerously real. Between inside jokes and stolen glances. Between not trusting him at all…and trusting him with everything.
Now Tessa has to keep hiding, or finally risk her heart?
Perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Kasie West, and Lynn Painter, The Plus-One Pact is a swoony, heart-melting novella about quiet girls, loud hearts, and the chaos of falling for your fake date.
A YA Contemporary Romance Novella
By Calla Finn
One pact. Zero feelings. Totally doomed.
Tessa James would rather stay invisible. As yearbook editor, she hides behind her camera and beneath her oversized hoodie, perfectly content to let her crushes live in the margins—especially when one of them is her cocky, too-charming neighbor, Leo Donovan.
Leo, on the other hand, lives for the spotlight. Star soccer player. Class flirt. The kind of guy who makes promises he probably doesn’t mean.
So when they strike a deal—be each other’s platonic plus-ones for the rest of junior year’s endless events—Tessa figures it’s safe. Just a pact. No pressure. No feelings. Definitely no kissing.
But the more time they spend together, the more blurry the lines become between fake and something that feels dangerously real. Between inside jokes and stolen glances. Between not trusting him at all…and trusting him with everything.
Now Tessa has to keep hiding, or finally risk her heart?
Perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Kasie West, and Lynn Painter, The Plus-One Pact is a swoony, heart-melting novella about quiet girls, loud hearts, and the chaos of falling for your fake date.
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 23, 2026
This would have been so cute with better execution. There’s way too much inner monologue for a novella.
December 8, 2025
Kindle Unlimited caught me good on this. Is this a Wattpad that’s somehow on Kindle 🙂🙂🙂🙂 Story line is what gives it 2 🌟 because who doesn’t love enemies to lovers 100 pager BUT please don’t go out of your way to read this one… I mean some pages even have the same writing on twice 🥴
March 14, 2026
Being completely honest I read this cause it was short and I didn’t feel like starting a long book, tell me why we tried to fit A MONTH into a 90 page book 😐 they fake dated for an hour, broke up, then like two hours later they were at prom together dating again. Also I didn’t know that people could put emojis in book and I hope that I never see one in a book again, kinda terrifying.
July 7, 2025
there were a few times where the same thing happened twice and paragraphs were copied and pasted on the same page huhh 😭😭
October 3, 2025
୨ৎ : ‘i delete everything else—every photo, every memory, every trace of who i was before tessa gazed at me like she could see through all my bullshit.’
— ☆ 3.5/5
this book was cute, i didn’t hate the characters but they did fall flat at times. leo and tessa were really adorable but it was almost like there was something off.
it was a lot of push and pull but hey they got their happy ending. don’t think it’ll last long though. but oh well.
— ☆ 3.5/5
this book was cute, i didn’t hate the characters but they did fall flat at times. leo and tessa were really adorable but it was almost like there was something off.
it was a lot of push and pull but hey they got their happy ending. don’t think it’ll last long though. but oh well.
May 31, 2026
Quick read, kisses only
I’m getting too old for high school books. I liked the beginning but the end lost my interest and I started skimming. When did Leo join yearbook committee? Why is a teacher asking a student to organize files? Where is all the parental supervision? How do kids get locked in at school? (It is possible for doors to lock from one side but can still be opened from the other). What happens with Chloe? How did all their friends find out they were fake dating when one of the rules was not to tell anyone? Why does Tessa hate being called “yearbook girl” but she’s totally fine with being called “camera girl”? There’s some repetition in the book as well.
I’m getting too old for high school books. I liked the beginning but the end lost my interest and I started skimming. When did Leo join yearbook committee? Why is a teacher asking a student to organize files? Where is all the parental supervision? How do kids get locked in at school? (It is possible for doors to lock from one side but can still be opened from the other). What happens with Chloe? How did all their friends find out they were fake dating when one of the rules was not to tell anyone? Why does Tessa hate being called “yearbook girl” but she’s totally fine with being called “camera girl”? There’s some repetition in the book as well.
September 19, 2025
Such a cute, sweet story of friendship, high school, and love!🥰
I loved the characters, and Tessa was such a realistic girl! The voice was so REAL, and I could really empathize with the characters! And ugggghhh you FEEEEL for them!❤️ (uggghhh in the best sort of way, I mean! The sound that you make as you groan and swoon and squeal) Your heart squeezes and your smile grows as the romance progresses!❤️
The two things I noticed were:
One, there were a few places were paragraphs were repeated verbatim.
And two…I kinda wished there had been a few scenes/chapters between when they agreed to be each others’s plus one (maybe some place they had to go together as a couple or something like that) before they started falling for each other…it just felt a bit rushed. But that’s just my opinion, and the story is still so sweet!
Overall—YES!!! I totally recommend this cute story if you love novels about high school romance, awkward situations, lovely friendships, and sweet couples!❤️
I loved the characters, and Tessa was such a realistic girl! The voice was so REAL, and I could really empathize with the characters! And ugggghhh you FEEEEL for them!❤️ (uggghhh in the best sort of way, I mean! The sound that you make as you groan and swoon and squeal) Your heart squeezes and your smile grows as the romance progresses!❤️
The two things I noticed were:
One, there were a few places were paragraphs were repeated verbatim.
And two…I kinda wished there had been a few scenes/chapters between when they agreed to be each others’s plus one (maybe some place they had to go together as a couple or something like that) before they started falling for each other…it just felt a bit rushed. But that’s just my opinion, and the story is still so sweet!
Overall—YES!!! I totally recommend this cute story if you love novels about high school romance, awkward situations, lovely friendships, and sweet couples!❤️
October 12, 2025
“i want to kiss him. i want it so badly that my entire body is humming with the need to close that last bit of distance between us. but I'm terrified. terrified that this is real. terrified that it's not. terrified that once we cross this line, i'll be in so deep i’ll never find my way back to who i was before leo james made me believe i could be someone worth wanting.”
it’s called the “plus one pact” yet the only time we even HEAR about them going somewhere together is prom. where are all the other events mentioned in the synopsis? false advertising much??
and also, please someone, find an EDITOR. because why are certain phrases repeated? like this is ANNOYING.
it’s called the “plus one pact” yet the only time we even HEAR about them going somewhere together is prom. where are all the other events mentioned in the synopsis? false advertising much??
and also, please someone, find an EDITOR. because why are certain phrases repeated? like this is ANNOYING.
July 27, 2025
Not awful but definitely not very impressive.
The thing that bothered me the most was the fact that Leo was like "Sorry for screwing up" when he DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. 😭😭😭 Huh?? Like it was that girl who reposted the picture??? And Tessa was so overdramatic and annoying about it. Very immature of her.
Also did we forget to edit?? There were a few times sentences were repeated. It was lowkey confusing.
But fine if you want a quick, clean romance. Don't expect a lot though.
The thing that bothered me the most was the fact that Leo was like "Sorry for screwing up" when he DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. 😭😭😭 Huh?? Like it was that girl who reposted the picture??? And Tessa was so overdramatic and annoying about it. Very immature of her.
Also did we forget to edit?? There were a few times sentences were repeated. It was lowkey confusing.
But fine if you want a quick, clean romance. Don't expect a lot though.
May 6, 2026
2.75 ⭐️’s
Honestly I only picked it up due to it being a short novella and it had a cute cover. Their romance had no chemistry between them. I was lost throughout the whole plot, I had presumed this all happened within a few days but supposedly it happened over a month. The writing wasn’t the best, kinda seemed like they looked up emotional quotes and plopped them into the book to make it seem more romantic. I only finished it cuz it was a short read, I wasn’t a big fan.
Honestly I only picked it up due to it being a short novella and it had a cute cover. Their romance had no chemistry between them. I was lost throughout the whole plot, I had presumed this all happened within a few days but supposedly it happened over a month. The writing wasn’t the best, kinda seemed like they looked up emotional quotes and plopped them into the book to make it seem more romantic. I only finished it cuz it was a short read, I wasn’t a big fan.
September 23, 2025
Cute YA Novella
I was actually so impressed by this Novella!!
The only part about it that was YA related was that it's set in highschool, but the character connection and relationship development is ageless! This quick story didn't need spice, and it was super cute!
I was actually so impressed by this Novella!!
The only part about it that was YA related was that it's set in highschool, but the character connection and relationship development is ageless! This quick story didn't need spice, and it was super cute!
September 10, 2026
no, just no
I normally never do reviews, but this book was not what I was expecting. There were copied paragraphs and the flow was just icky. Couldn’t find the heart to give it more than one star.
I normally never do reviews, but this book was not what I was expecting. There were copied paragraphs and the flow was just icky. Couldn’t find the heart to give it more than one star.
October 3, 2025
[3.5] this book was like eating something and it tastes good but you can taste something funny in it
October 9, 2025
short and sweet! this was definitely the palate cleanser that i needed.
April 11, 2026
3.5⭐️
April 19, 2026
1.5 ⭐️
May 5, 2026
Camaraderie.
July 1, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
for the love of god, how have I not fake dated anyone yet
for the love of god, how have I not fake dated anyone yet
January 1, 2026
Read this so that I could reach my reading goal and it was short and sweet. Definitely a book to read if need something fast and mindless. There was some inconsistencies in the flow of the story which kinda confused me. But for it being about 100 pages and with a cute plot it was okay.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews