The Almost Boyfriend

Boyfriend #2

by Christina Benjamin

Sometimes the thing you’re looking for is right in front of you—almost.

Nobody likes Devon James, including Devon James. And why should they? He had it all and took it for granted—money, girls, popularity and a future with endless possibility. Now he’s just a washed-up has-been. Or so everyone thinks. No one knows the real reason the handsome soccer star quit the team and dumped the hottest girl in school, but they’re not about to forgive him for it either. That’s why he’s perfect for Samantha Connors.

Sam Connors always follows the rules. But when her father forces her to leave Boston to finish her senior year of high school at a posh prep school in Ireland she has no choice but to rebel. And bad boy Devon James is just the guy to help her break all the rules.

Sam is determined to get her life back and return to Boston by any means necessary. Her plan is crazy, but she’s convinced it will work—almost.

A Fun, Fast, YA Romance Read. This is a stand-alone novel.
Perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, 13 Reason’s Why and Pretty Little Liars.
(Note: Suggested reading age 16+ for mature language and content.)

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

196 pages, ebook

First published May 25, 2017

About the author

Award-Winning author, Christina Benjamin, lives in Florida with her husband, and character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.

Christina is best known for her wildly popular Young Adult romance novels, The Boyfriend series.

The Boyfriend series proves that book boyfriends are like Chocolate… you can never have enough. Check out the Boyfriend series for fast, fun, YA romance reads. These destination novels let you fall in love in a new city with new character every time.

Christina loves to read and write across genres. YA is her favorite but she's a sucker for a good love story. Don't miss her YA Fantasy, The Geneva Sommers series under her pen name CJ Benjamin as well as the multiple anthologies she's been a part of.

Reviews

[Laura Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So book 2 is even better than book 1 if that is even possible! I loved the location setting for book 2. Ireland! *daydreams about sexy Irish guys momentarily* So yes sexy Irish guys with sexy Irish accents are included! (i mean how can you not already love this book). Christina's writing still blows me away. This is her second book, but both are stand alone's. I'd also like to talk book covers for a second, I absolutely lover her cover choices so major props to her artist!

And now for the story. She had me sucked in from page one! She mentions Adele and how it is Samantha's outlet. Who doesn't love Adele? Second I really love her character. Christina always makes her women in her books so well written. They are independent and while they fall in love, are still strong and don't NEED the guy.

I'm still swooning over Devon here. Man I thought book 1 had a dreamy guy. Well Devon is just wow! She even writes in an Irish accent. Told ya great writing skills by her. You really can almost hear his voice in your mind as you read. The more you get to know Devon, the more you fall.

The supporting cast is well written too as they grow on you and actually contribute to the story versus just becoming background noise. The plot was amazing and keeps you flipping every page. I stayed for a good while reading this because i simply could not put it down. So again 5 stars from me. Also is there more of these books coming out soon? I NEED them.

[Hallie (Hallie Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Sara Oxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The almost boyfriend by Christina Benjamin a great four-star read. This is the second book in the Boyfriend series, but they are stand-alone contemporary romance books. They are fun and flirty reads, that will leave you with a good feeling in your heart and gut.
Devon and Sam’s story is a great story of one side trying to find love and failing miserably, and the other coming to the realisation of friends make the best option in relationships. It’s a great coming of age story, and how sometimes you need your friends to show you the way. I would definitely recommend this story if you want something light and sweet with a little spice thrown in to keep it interesting.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

"She could probably get him to sleep with her and then tell her father he'd forced her." Page 41

This review is a direct message for the author. Grow up and stop using rape as a plot device in your books. YOU are perpetuating rape culture when you put this garbage out into the world for teen readers. YOU desensitize people when you allow what should be a relatable character out into the world that could so easily falsely accuse someone of sexual assault. YOU contribute to the plight of actual sexual assault victims that are revictimized through allegations of faults reporting. I'll say it one more time GROW UP and educate yourself.

[Caz · Rating 1 out of 5]

People who are not from Ireland should not write books based in Ireland.

They are always a mess of misused slang and Americanisms that Irish do not use - like the word blocks - we do not have block in Ireland - we have "down the road" or "down the road" - no matter how far away something is.

The use of the word "grand" was all wrong and is actually rarely used in everyday Irish.

Anyway, this book is terrible.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Considering lying about the guy forcing himself on the MC just to try to get back to Boston is garbage.

This is absolutely not okay and I cannot *believe* the author thought this was okay to toss into the story.

This does a massive disservice to actual rape victims and only perpetuates the false narrative that some rape victims could be lying.

I stopped reading at that exact sentence in absolute disgust.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2020...

••Spoilers? Maybe a lot, maybe a few, I'll see once I finish this review.•

Okay, before starting on this book and what I felt about it. I want to say that I cannot stand the word "Grand" I know I ended up with a headache because Devon, kept saying it ALOT in the book. I wasn't too much into the Ireland language (talk). I hope that the other books to this series don't have Ireland speaking because that "Grand" pluck my last nerve.


So anyway, besides that, I thought the book was good. But I will say this, when I first started this book, it was boring, so I went to two other books than went back to this book when I went back and read this one. It turned out REALLY good. Though I thought Sam was kind of b*t*hy towards Devon in some ways. Even though he showed her in so many ways that he cared.

Even though he was mean to her when his father died, I still didn't think she should've gone to that pub. & the bad thing about it Zander wasn't a bad person as Devon thought. It was just jealousy; I was glad that they worked it out with each other. Also, he worked it out with his stepmom, too, which was good too. Since he thought she was ONLY using his father. Which she wasn't. She cared about his father. Not only that, she actually cared and worried about Devon too. But it took Zander to show him during the time at the pub when Sam got drugged by Sophie.

Who was I thought was trash and jealous of Sam for no reason. Sam wasn't even thinking about her. Sophie was just jealous because Sam had Devon's heart. Nobody told Sophie yo dumped Devon when he was off the team. When Sam comes around and Sophie learns that Devon was getting his father company she wanted him back. Then turn around and dumped Zander too. Who ends up with the company; in the end, she didn't win nothing whereas everybody else did (Zander, Sam & Devon). I do hope that Zander does end up with Meghan. That would be awesome.

[Jodee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This story is great. I love Sam and Devon. I am not a dog fan but I even love Eggsy. This story finds Sam returning to Ireland, where she was born and raised for the first 8 years of her life, against her will as her father's business partner has taken ill and he needs to go back to Ireland to handle the business. Sam doesn't have any good memories of Ireland. The only thing she really remembers is Devon calling her Spam. When she finally meets Devon she is surprised at how wonderful he looks. She has created a plan to get her father to return her to Boston, but as she spends time with Devon and gets to know him she changes her mind.

But keep in mind they are teenagers and in high school so you know things are not going to stay wonderful very long. Needless to say after Sam convinces herself to open up and let Devon in things change and the thing she was fearing happens. He hurts her feelings and stomps on her heart. But is it all exactly at it appears? You'll have to read this wonderful story of first love, and friendship to find out.

You will enjoy Sam, Devon, Megan (Sam's bestfriend in Boston), Zander and even Sophie. All of the characters are developed enough that you remember who they are but they do not distract from the main characters.

Even though this story goes a long with The Practice Boyfriend also by Christina Benjamin you do not need to have read it to enjoy this story.

This is a must read for all teenagers.

[Ashley Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute love story. I loved that it was set anywhere other than the U.S. because come on there are so many books set in America. I love when books have a different setting and since I'm Irish it was even better seeing the land I hope to be able to see one day. I would so be drinking a pint with the gang in the pub.

Sam is very upset with her dad for making her move to Ireland right before her senior year of high school. Now she's in an unfamiliar land in an unfamiliar school with the same old mean girls, though. Devon is the guy that she grew up with before moving to the states and he is determined to win her over. Can the pretty boy Devon get the commitment-phobe that is Sam to be more than just friends?

Picturing Devon and then adding in his accent is enough to make anyone swoon. Especially me. He was so sweet and I hated Sophie for treating him and Sam the way that she did. While I'm on the topic of Sophie, the girl was insane. I get playing jokes on people but what she did was not okay! Zander was a jerk at first but at least he redeemed himself, in the end, Sophie never did she was just crazy. I liked Sam and Devon together even though Sam annoyed me sometimes.

Overall this was a good book and this is a cute series. I already ordered the next two books in the boyfriend series so I'm looking forward to diving in again.

[Jules.Bookverse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute story about growing up, going through difficult changes, suffering from loss and throughout all the bad finding the good. A perfect little love story for me and just what I needed in this cold time of the year. Sam is such a strong girl and seems to be untouchable from the outside but deep inside this is all just a wall to protect her, just like her fear of decisions. I liked that she showed us more and more about herself and brought her walls down. This is a hard process to open up which I can really relate to therefore I liked how realistic this process was pictured here. Suffering from a loss of a beloved person isn't easy and can pull you into a deep whole. Devon had to go through this and felt his world crushing down. To some people it might seem extreme but I think his behavior was like Sam's very well and realistically pictured. That's what I like most about the authors style after reading a 2nd book by her: She has the gift to bring reality to the paper and also give you that tiny piece of hope throughout the whole story. Everyone needs a Happy End from time to time. ;)

[Default_mode_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Devon and Sam's story set in the backdrop of Ireland. A reluctant Sam moves to Ireland with her father, for him to take care of business. Enter Devon son of her father's business partner, who has had a crush on Sam since childhood. Sam has a devious plan to work her charm on Devon and move back to Boston.

We have Eggsy (Devon's dog) playing the third lead in this story. The story has some high points like the time spent in the pub on Sam's arrival, her fiasco with her luggage, and shopping, the camping trip Devon and Sam take. When Devon lost his dad and the way he shut down, my heart went out to him, where I felt really sad and I did shed a few tears.

Finally, Devon did come to his senses and was learning to cope with the loss. I oddly liked as well as disliked Sam's character in certain parts of the story.

I have read a few books by Christina Benjamin, something I have noticed in common in all the books I have read so far is the main leads are dealing with some kind of pain, suffering and at least one character has/had cancer. This is the part that makes me sad as I get too sucked in the story :(

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

Near the beginning of the book, the main character contemplates getting the guy drunk, sleeping with him, and then claiming he forced her. So that her dad will let her go back to the US. And she decides against it because... he's too attractive to treat that way.

It does not get better. She whines because as the new girl she has to be on the receiving end of bullying instead of the other side. Shallow and unlikable. I finally asked someone I know who read it if she ever grows up and becomes a decent human being. No. She is written as is, as though that is a decent human being.

I had no desire to spend anymore time with this book. If anyone has teenage daughters who have read it, they might want to have a discussion with them about how they should never be/do anything like this character.

[Aarti · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so many moments that weren’t believable. How can someone say they love their childhood crush within two seconds of re-meeting them after years have passed?

Also the constant use of the word ‘Grand’ was annoying and the usage of Irish colloquialisms and idioms felt a bit forced.

The female protagonist just came across as being a spoilt brat with her petty attitude of trying to make her father’s life hard due to the inconvenience of moving countries. Also the fact that she was ok with bullying occurring at her old school but not when she was on the receiving end of it was so hypocritical. Overall she came across as being a materialistic girl.

As others have mentioned, this book incentivises making false accusations when it comes to rape, disregarding the effect it has on actual rape victims.

[Amara · Rating 1 out of 5]

"She could probably get him to sleep with her and then tell her father he'd forced her."

Youch. Yikes.

The female main character in this book is hard to like. The dude? Likeable, but I can't stand the YA books where a parent dies and the kid acts like his world is over. I lost my mom young, and my father as an adult. But let me tell you, it isn't that dramatic. It sucks, yeah. You're lonely, there's no one to talk to anymore, etc. But drinking binges? Wanting to die? Wah fucking wah.

Mean girls. I'm sick of them. And it seems mean girls these days are not just mean, they're dangerous. Psychotic. Sociopaths. Pick one. Or pick three.

This book was a chore to get through, I skimmed the last two hours of it.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

On the con side at least from a parental perspective the teens do a ton of drinking and the story includes a fade to black sex scene. If this is something you're cool with your teen reading then it's a wonderful story.

While there's a somewhat lighthearted feel to the writing this story isn't light hearted. The teens face a lot of hard life lessons and change they aren't really ready for. That said it's a great story that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Sam and Devon were easy to relate to characters and the dual first person narrative helped to quickly pull you into their world.

Highly recommended.

[Amy Hannagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina has really figured out the way to write YA romance. It's sweet, flirty and fun all the way through. The teen characters are believable and feel real. Though this is technically book 2 of a series, it is a stand alone story and not dependent on book 1 for enjoyment. I love that this takes place mostly in Ireland, my dream place to live. Sam is desperate to get back to Boston and trying to use Devon as her means to an end, but making him appear to be the catalyst for her good girl gone bad. Poor Devon is not really in the position to be used. This is just a well-written, beautiful story.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Almost Boyfriend

Okay, so I was impressed with the first book and really excited for the second one in the series. However, after reading the second book I was not impressed. All in all it was okay. However, I feel like the storyline was just off and a bit weird. I mean it was all a bit unbelievable. And then I also thought the first few chapters were both set up weird and dry. I also did not like the main character Sam at all way too emotional and up and down for me. I didn’t know if I would make it through the whole book. However, towards the end of the book I found that it did get better as far as the writing and plot but all in all 3.0

[Chasidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it and the plot was really interesting. I loved when Devon James was Samantha Connors old friend in Ireland. I also loved that the author chose 2 characters that have totally different personalities and characteristics. Devon James is a bad boy and rebellious person while Samantha Connors is a gentle but bold girl that won't let Devon see. The author is amazing at writing romance books with a hint of action and adventure in it. I would recommend anyone who like either romance or action/adventure in their library.

[Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

BAHHHHH I love me an Irish man especially when that man is Devon James. He is everything you could possibly need and want and more!!! I loved the tension and the pining and the realizing feelings and ugh it was just so perfect. Though if I don’t get a book on Megan and Zander I will be thoroughly disappointed. I love these characters especially Megan and I was so happy to hear Cody and Hannah mentioned in this book! I recommend for all YA romance readers looking for a cute somewhat slow burn enemies/friends to lovers story 14+.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I unfortunately enjoyed this one worse than the last I read. I thought the story itself and most of the plot were very interesting. The characters acted a little crazy for my liking, but some were redeemable. What really hurt was that there were terrible moments in here that just perpetuated rape culture and didn't denounce that that kind of stuff is bad....so yeah...I'm not on board, sorry.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Summer Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was inspiring that even after Sam moved away Devon and her ended up together.
Reading about Henry having his brain tumor and how it was affecting everyone was really hard. I felt bad for all the people who lost Henery died, but I felt that Devon was suffering the most. He seemed to turn into a different person after his father died. I'm just glad that Devon and Sam ended up together.
But I do want to say that I absolutely loved Eggsy! He was a great addition to the book.

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book and voluntarily decided to review it

I really enjoyed this romance story. The chemistry between Sam and Devon is so believable and sweet, Devon has been crushing on Sam for so long

Set in beautiful Ireland this is a well written chick lit story, Christina Benjamin is a very talented writer and I am looking forward to her next book

[John Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both Devon and are very appealing characters. The tension and chemistry between them is great and the emotional rollercoaster they ride makes this a difficult story to put down. There are a very few instances of incorrect word choices (phased instead of fazed), but they were quickly overlooked as I read on. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in this series.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.


A fun teen romance with great humor and lovable characters. The author creates wonderful webs of relationships between the well developed multi dimensional characters. The tension and angst were humorous for me as an adult but would be wonderful for its intended audience.

[Laurie Beemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Sam finds it unacceptable that her father wants to move across the country so what will she do? Meet and fall in love with Sam and Devon as they learn truths and surprises about their lives and the lives of one another. This book made me feel so many different emotions and I embraced every one of them.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the series and is Sam Connors and Devon James' story of young love and what happens in High school. A well written story that was sweet and tastefully written. Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brittany (happy.ending.always) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute read

This was a cute friends to love story. It had all the feels. I fell in book boyfriend love for Devon immediately. Sam and Devon grew up in Ireland together but then Sam moved away. Now back can they rekindle the love they have for one another, but never told one another their true feelings. Or will they just stay in the friend zone?!!!

[Kathi Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this newest by Christina Benjamin! Loved the characters that are so believable (reminds me of some of my students). Loved the location (I want to visit Ireland). Loved how it turns out! Such a realistic story of love and loss. Can't wait for the next adventure we get to go on!

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love 💖

She's done it again. I absolutely loved this book. I haven't been able to read for months. I would just sit down and not be able to focus at all. I just read this entire book in one sitting. I've got my groove back. Thank you 💖 I can't wait for the next one.

[Kim F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read. Emotionally sweet, entertaining and captivating book. I want to read more from this author. Well written with great plot and strong sexy characters. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.