As If: A Dating Tutor Sweet YA Romance

by Meredith Logan

Chloe James needs a distraction. Enter Nathan Pritchett.

Chloe James is keeping a secret. It's not deep and dark but it is private. She built a website over the summer and is working towards applying for a scholarship but she is entirely burned out. When her best friend's annoying brother, Nathan, tells her he's striking out with her other friend, Josie, Chloe jumps at the chance to help. She needs a good distraction, even though Nathan Pritchett is such a twerp.

Nathan Pritchett is smart, good looking, athletic, has dreams and goals to make them a reality. So why isn't Josie interested? He makes the mistake of commiserating to his sister's pain of a best friend and she takes it as a plea for help. Spoiler it's not. Chloe dives into his personal life and all Nathan wants is for her butt out. But one night, Chloe confides in him and Nathan realizes maybe she isn't as bad as he thought.

As Nathan and Chloe work together to win over Josie, they start to learn more about what, and who, they each want. Chloe needs to stay focused on her website and the scholarship but the more time she spends with Nathan, the harder time she has thinking about anything else...

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2026

Reviews

[Alicia (aliciasalwaysreading)]

I had the privilege of proofreading this one! Super cute addition to the series!

[Jodi Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored everything about As If by Meredith Logan, which is the second book in her Desert Valley High Romcoms series. The angst and drama and humor and friendship were everything you would expect out of a YA novel. I was hooked on the book from first chapter.

The story focuses on Chloe as tries to distract herself from the big secret she is keeping from her friends. She decides helping Nathan, her best friend’s brother, win over his crush is the perfect distraction. As Chloe tries to give Nathan dating lessons, she starts to realize that she was a bit hasty in her decision to help him date someone else. Because she realizes that she likes him…

Chloe and Nathan were fabulous. I loved them individually and together. Logan really brought to life their snark and flirtation. I wish I had been as quick with the one liners as Chloe was in high school. She was brilliant and Nathan really held his own with her. Their banter and chemistry were so strong but also so appropriate for a YA novel.

Things to love:
-YA novel
-dual POV
-fake dating
-best friend’s brother
-super smart STEM FMC
-super smart baseball team captain MMC
-supportive parents
-strong friend group
-You’ve Got Mail vibes
-high school angst
-slow burn

I loved how Logan handled the dynamics of high school and friendships. It was real but also appropriate for a YA audience. I also loved all the interactions between Chloe and Nathan and their parents. It was so fun to see such healthy parent-child relationships.

[Cherilyn (Cherwhatyouread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an adorable YA novel all wrapped in fun package. You get best friends brother, enemies to more, you got mail vibes! Chloe and Nathan were quite the pair, I enjoyed their banter and their conversations (both in real life and their online anonymous forum). I loved that they really got to know each other and how their relationship grew into friendship then into more.

Favorite parts
-Nathan flirting with Chloe
-The you got mail situation going on and how they both discovered who the other was.
-Chloe being determined to help coach Nathan… leading to some awkward but hilarious moments.
-Pint size
-Nico
-how every time Chloe said “as if”, I read that in Cher Horowitz’s voice each and every time. 😂
-Nathan’s conversation with his parents about Chloe

Favorite quotes
It’s getting harder and harder to deny that I have a crush on Nathan Pritchett.

I don’t go out of my way to irritate him, but when I notice him clench his jaw, it brings me a little joy.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when I find a YA book that will keep me interested, but that my daughters would enjoy as well! This one by Meredith Logan is just so perfect for that! I loved it so much.

I loved Chloe so much! She's the type of girl who is super smart, but tries to hide it. Chloe has made her own website about true crime for teens, but she doesn't want anyone to know that she did. She also thinks she can get Nathan together with the girl of his dreams. I had to laugh at how bossy she was about this! But, because Chloe is best friends with his twin sister, Chloe and Nathan are together a ton. And pretty soon, she realizes that she might have feelings for him herself.

Nathan is kind of a typical guy. He's into sports, hanging out with friends and eating. He was kind of clueless for a lot of the book about how great Chloe was, and he had no idea that he was messaging her on her own site.

This one is just so cute! I loved it!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book! It was giving Clueless (As If!), Easy A (hilarious banter with parents) and The Duff (oblivious friend next door). I liked that there was no drama with the parents, the kids and parents had good healthy relationships, which then manifested as healthy mature relationships with friends. I liked how Chloe gained more self confidence through the book, realizing she can ask for help and community with things she’s doing but still have ownership of her tasks and just have support. Nathan was cute and flirty.

A perfect book for teens - zero content to worry about. Only kissing in the book and no glamorizing of unhealthy teen activities.

[Jenna Killpack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet clean YA

Cute squeaky clean YA romance that would definitely be appropriate for teenagers. It’s always refreshing to read a YA that I can hand off to my daughter and I am not worried about the content. That’s hard to find these days. I haven’t read the first book in this series yet but this was a cute girl next door/brother’s best friend story. Chloe first starts out trying to help Nathan as a dating coach but it becomes harder and harder to help him date another girls as she realizes her feelings for him.
Things I loved
💻 Friends to more
💻Clean YA
💻 Healthy relationships modeled by parents
💻 Chloe’s website
💻 Pint Size
💻 Twerp

[Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As If by Meredith Logan is a sweet high school romance.

This is the second book in the series but it can be read as a standalone. This is the classic dating coach trope! It was what a high school romance seemed to be, with the classic jealousy, best friend's brother, and more! I loved the coding aspect as well as supportive parents in this one!

If you want a dating coach high school book this is the one for you!

Thank you Meredith Logan for the free book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was completely adorable! I'm always a sucker for the "you've got mail" trope. I love the way it was used in this book. The characters felt relatable and reminded me of when I was a teen. This book had everything I wanted in a YA romance, and none of the stuff I didn't want. I wouldn't even second guess letting my kids read this book. Best YA romance I've read in a really long time.

[Emilee Wheiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute clean romcom, perfect for teens and young adults! I loved having the perspective of both main characters. Definitely give it a read!

[Mekayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read!!

I enjoyed every minute of this book! Chloe is such a great character south so much going on and I loved seeing Julia and Graham again!

[James Merrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute!

I loved reading this book. It was fun watching realize how they felt about each other! You should all give it a read!

[Alix | IG: ThisBookishMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not for me, but if you love YA romances or have a middle grade/teenager, I think you would like it. The reasons behind some of the choices these characters made didn’t seem very solid and the adults acted like their teens. There were some cute moments, but overall just not my thing.

Content: kissing