The Prom Kiss

Briarwood High #5

by Maggie Dallen

When a mean girl kisses a nice guy, someone is going to get hurt. Or fall in love. Or...maybe both.

Tina Withers doesn't do nice. When she kisses Julian-the-emo-songwriter-freak to make his cheating ex-girlfriend jealous it's absolutely not out of the kindness of her heart. She's only evening the score since he'd not only let her cry on his shoulder after her latest breakup with her jerk of an ex, but he'd kept the whole humiliating incident a secret. Her frenemies would have leaped at the chance to take her down a notch by spilling the gory details of her stockroom meltdown.

So yeah, she owed him one. Besides, a good guy like Julian deserves better than his manipulative, selfish ex. And no matter how hot his kisses might be, he deserves better than her, too. She's spent a lifetime creating her reputation as the biggest baddie at school, and her crowning glory is in sight as she prepares to claim her throne as Briarwood's reigning prom queen. It's too late to change now...isn't it? Or maybe Julian is right. Maybe a little nice goes a long way when you're known for being mean.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, High School, Ebooks, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2018

Reviews

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prom Kiss, book 5 in Maggie Dallen’s wonderful Briarwood High series, is a perfect high school romance that can easily be read as a stand-alone and thoroughly enjoyed. To those who’ve not read other books by this author you’ll likely find this book by itself to be one of - and very like the - best high school romance you’ve ever read. Maggie Dallen “gets” high school romance and dynamics better than anyone. Starting at this book would be doing yourself a disservice, however, as enjoyment of the book is massively enhanced for those who have read the earlier books. If you’ve been following along with the series then you are in for a true treat. Tina Withers, the mean girl extraordinaire who you just hated in the earlier books, is back - and she’s a real shocker in this book which is the story of her romance with “Julian-the-emo-songwriter-freak” who actually is an amazingly mature and decent guy. Digging into what’s really going on inside Tina’s head and watching her blossom is a true pleasure. Really, all of this book is a true pleasure, the plot, the writing and the characters. It’s also great how this story overlaps and is woven into the tapestry containing the prior books, including great cameos by leads in those other books (with special cudos to Alice who has a deep supporting role as Julian’s best friend in addition to continuing her own romance). It’s great to catch up with them. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queen Bee as a romantic heroine? You betcha!

Having met Tina in the previous books as one half of the infamous Tina-and-Alex-drama-llama-duo, I'll admit that I loved to... well, not quite hate, that's too strong a word, but certainly dislike her. She (or rather Maggie Dallen) made that pretty easy, at least for me.

And suddenly Tina's supposed be the heroine and I'm supposed to like her? Root for her? Say what?

Let's just say that the author did a superb job to properly introduce us to the person hiding behind the mean girl façade. I was positively delighted to get to know Tina, and yes, I'll also admit that, this time, she was actually quite easy to fall in love with.

Julian may not be the hero she - at least initially - wants, but he's definitely the hero Tina deserves. They complement each other perfectly, they work well as a couple, and I absolutely loved Julian's steadfast belief in her.

I also enjoyed reconnecting with Alice and Brian, who took their roles as supporting cast not always too seriously. :)

[Kate McMurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read many of this author's young adult novels, and this one is one of the very best. Review to follow.

[Amaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves 5 stars because it is such a sweet, fluffy, clean, teen romance that can melt your heart.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (7/5/2018)!💝

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

All I am going to say is this book was WAY better than book 1 and 2. 

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2019...

 It’s a possibility that it will have spoilers in my review.••••

So let me point out that I liked this book; and knew I was going to like it because the description of the book caught my eye.

But anyways, I was glad that Tina didn’t care what her friends though when she was hanging with Julian all the time. & that even his friend Alice and her boyfriend Brian (whose popular and a football player A Whole New League) didn’t care. They didn’t want Tina, to hurt Julian as Leila did him. I wasn’t even made with Tina when she tries to diss Julian with those remarks she made about him and why she didn’t want to be with him. I knew she actually wanted and liked him as much as he liked her.

The funny and weird thing is that Leila and Alex ended up-dating, in reality, they both deserve each other because they both were the same. I was glad that Julian changed (well no) more so he brought the real Tina out. She was hiding behind the real her when it came to her friends and even her FAMILY. Julian made her smile, be happier, feel special, etc., that is something her friends and Alex couldn’t do for her. Even she made Julian happy more than Leila could’ve done for him. I was glad she also apologize to Veronica too for throwing that drank on her at the party (in the story about Veronica and her guy Drew Remi Out of His League) over Alex wack self. She was mean to Veronica in the first book to this series; I couldn’t stand her in book 1, I do believe that she was evil to Alice too in book Two I forgot.... but glad that she became a nice person all because of Julian...

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series! If you have read the other books in the series then you know Tina has show up before as the mean girl but this can be read as a stand alone but would recommend reading the whole series which is awesome. Tina is the mean girls that rules the school with the popular on again off again boyfriend and Julian is the good guy emo nerd. After Tina brakes down and Julian is there to witness it she feels like she kind of owes him but a little help turns into friendship and then more. Tina is more then a mean girl and she has her reasons for why she is the way she is I think she is definitely redeems herself quite well in this book. Definitely a great read!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book of Maggie's that I've read and it definitely won't be the last! Fun and sweet and everything you're looking for in a YA romance, this story had just the right amount of spice and teen angst. Two kids from opposite sides of the popularity spectrum meet under unusual circumstances and form a bond neither of them expected or can ignore. Written in a way that brought me back to my high school days, I found this book positively charming and relate-able. It was an easy and enjoyable escape that left a smile on my face. I look forward to more! 4.5 stars.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emo Nerdy Guy Vs. Mean Girl Prom Queen

I had a lot of fun reading this story. The heroine was as tough as nails and funny too. I could have done without the swearing but the storyline was very good. I always enjoy this author’s YA novellas. Recommended.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best revenge on people who’ve hurt you was to never let them know they’d scored a hit.

Comfort was the lazy man’s version of happiness.

This was a mistake. And also, this was the best mistake I’d ever made.

No one was so black and white as we’d like to believe.

So yeah, call me Prince Charming because my big plan was to wake this princess with a kiss.

Meeting Tina in the previous books, I wasn’t a fan of her. But reading about her in this book, she made it easy to like Tina. Maggie Dallen did a superb job introducing the Queen Bee and letting us see what’s behind the mean girl facade. Seeing what’s in Tina’s head and watching her blossom was enjoyable. I love watching how Julian helped Tina get out of her head. And then there’s Julian, it was great to see him opening up. I love how this story overlapped with Brian and Alice’s story (from book 2 of the series, A Whole New League). Another wonderful and fun read by Maggie Dallen. 4 stars.

[Izzy ♡ boom, boom, fucking boom · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[netraa ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I have not really come across many mean girl and nice guy books before (I need recommendations, guys) but this gave me such a beautiful insight of how with the right person your bad qualities become your strengths and it did not hurt that the story broke a few cliches.

I would really recommend this to anyone who likes stories of growth, discovering yourself and hope :)

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/01/...

4.5 stars — Dudes! This was so a Lenore book! I just ended it with the stupidest goofy grin on my face, I can’t even tell you!! Ms. Dallen definitely has a formula for this series, but this one worked PERFECTLY for me from start to finish. The difference between this one and the other two I’ve read so far is that in this one we got to see more deeply into why Tina is the way that she is, and unlike the other popular MCs, she *knew* she was being mean. That’s what I was missing from those other ones.

Tina was a SUPER intriguing heroine, because she didn’t make excuses for her behaviour really. BUT there was a lot that went into turning her into the queen bee mean girl of the school. Like A LOT A LOT. And most of it stemmed from her home life and her horrible relationship with her mother. I can truly understand how she developed this persona as a coping mechanism, as a way to protect herself. And I loved that she was only mean to people who played the game…she didn’t bully innocents. I appreciated that aspect. I mean, she wasn’t nice necessarily, but she tried to make that distinction. And so much of what I loved about her I saw because of the way Julian saw her. He recognized that she wasn’t all bad, she was kind of just using her powers for evil instead of good. I really loved the way he turned that around on her. She really was ambitious and motivated, and we don’t see enough heroines with those traits reminding us that ambition isn’t a BAD trait, even if it’s not for everyone. Anyways, I’m getting off track. Basically, I didn’t expect to love Tina, but I really did. I saw who she was deep down, and I appreciated that while we were nothing alike, I could still connect with her.

Then there’s Julian. Julian is *my* kind of hero. I love me a sweet beta boy, and he was just perfect. He wasn’t a pushover, he definitely stood his ground with Tina. The problem is that it wasn’t just that I loved Julian, but I loved the way Julian brought out the goodness in Tina…the way he saw past her facade.

And that’s the thing. My favourite part of this book was the two of them together. They made me laugh and giggle and swoon and ache and sigh…you know, all those good things. The kisses were AMAZING. Like, holy wow. But it was also the way they talked and connected and reached across those social boundaries to connect with one another through something truly heartbreaking. I loved the way they teased each other and bantered, and the way Julian helped Tina not to take herself so seriously.

*sigh* Yeah, it was just…wonderful. I have all these other books that I should be reading, but as soon as I read the sneak peek at the end of The Holiday Kiss, I couldn’t help but buy it immediately. And I have ZERO regrets. I mean, I’m going to try to put off the rest of the series until the second half of 2020, but this was the book I was wanting from this series.

[Tatiane Nicchetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally the book I was waiting for! To be sincere, I started to read the whole series just to get to this one! While the first and the second get us to know a little bit about our MC s, the third and fourth didn't have anything in commom besides being at the same school (like, really? It is a series! The main couple should be presented in the former books at least!). I was giving up hope after not liking so much the fourth one... But oh, how was I surprised!

Tina is your typical mean girl. In the previous books you just don't like her. End. Nonetheless, seeing another side of her... Was just fantastic!

No, she didn't start to be "nice" to others (inside joke, folks!), we still have this bad girl doing everything wrong... And you can't just stop praying that she will be happy at the end

Only someone that has being trought toxic relationships could apreciate the masterpiece that this book was. I am sure a lot of people will judge her and be "girl, just get over this guy already! Why can't you???", but trust me. It is not that easy. Furthermore, seeing tina struggling with that was real for me. Bad guys can make us believe that we are not worthy and that we need to accept the shit boyfriend because... Who else would want us? So thank you, thank you for showing us the other side of the story

And about Julian... I was half in love with him at the end of the second book, but seeing him all sweet taking care of a mean girl that was crying and hiding... It just melted my heart

So yes. This book turned out to be my favorite ate the series and I hightly recommend it

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like after reading this book, the first thing that popped into my head was the saying "DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS UNTIL YOU HAVE WALKED A MILE IN THEIR SHOES"

I hated Tina from previous books. She was a mean girl, and took her hateful actions and words out on others.

I loved Julian from previous books. He was a great friend to Alice with a great heart.

When these two people, from polar opposites of the high school social scene end up in the same room, both upset and hiding, an unlikely friendship forms. While their classmates begin to wonder about the pair, their friendship grows into an undeniable attraction.

This was a great book, and a really fun read.

[J. James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julian and Tina, two secondary characters from previous books in the series, get their chance at romance. I have loved the Briarwood High books, so I bought this one without really paying attention to the description. I struggled at first getting into the book, probably because I realized they were secondary characters that I didn't like from the earlier stories. However, I was curious how Dallen would make them likeable, and she did. Once I got into the story, it was hard to put down. I especially joined the ending and read it faster than I normally would because I wanted to find out what would happen. Even if you're not a Julian or Tina fan, give this story a chance.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the "popular mean" Tina is caught crying in a school closet by Julian, an "emo-geek", she's not happy about it and she mentally prepares to bring him down if he tells anyone! What she's not prepared for was his genuine concern and niceness towards her...after all, everyone in her world is a fake and phony and only out to be number 1! These two opposites become friends and "coach" each other on relationships. This is a great YA story that shows you that everyone is not how they seem and that complete opposites can be friends and fall in love!

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mean "Queen Bee" high school cheerleader Tina and somewhat nerdy Julian randomly - and totally accidentally - meet in a closet in high school. And both of their lives will never be the same. Lots of high school drama and two unlikely people leaving their comfort zones to be friends. I really enjoyed this story and the writing style, but there was a lot of swearing in it (including taking the Lord's name in vain).

[wayne browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot more Drama in it then the others and looks only get you so far ( some people are Hollywood pretty but that doses not mean they are Hollywood Nice ...
And some people you never ever noticed before are the nicest ( Some people are not Hollywood pretty But are Hollywood Nice -well on Tv i mean -) so just because your a nerd doses not mean you have to be rude to them and look the other way...
You have to look past the looks to find what make them them 😔😔

[Corbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very interesting learning more about Julian in this book. And the fact he and Tina were the ones that got together? Wild. It was crazy to watch the progression.

Spoiler~~

It was interesting seeing Tina's perspective on things. I wish it had showed more of Julian learning about her family and the issues with them. I enjoyed the mental issues that it showed with her. And how Julian was able to help her through it. It was nice. You also got to watch and see Tina's development.

[Barbara Abney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving this series! And YA is not usually my thing! This story about Tina and Julian is so unique in the fact that the "mean girl", you know the one in high school I'm talking about, actually gets redeemed in my eyes. I actually really liked her character when I found out why she is the way she is. And Julian is so good for her! They are good for each other! Great storyline and writing!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good!

This one had all that I wanted. Tina's mean girl persona motivation was shown beautifully through her home life and experiences. How she and Julian met made sense. Their relationship grew believably. Basically, it was so well done. And I was so happy for Tina to receive her happily ever after. I really enjoyed it.

[Benjamin D Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it

This was so adorable. I loved how they learned how to be better through each other. How in the other they found the strength and the inspiration to change, and yet it was still a healthy relationship, the other person was not trying to change them, they just inspired them to be a better person.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tina and Julian meet cute in a closet both needing to handle their recent breakups away from Briarwood High. Tina has learned to numb herself from hurt due to her home life but Julian accepts and challenges Tina and her perception of herself. Tina coaches Julian through his breakup and ends up doing him a nice turn. I enjoyed reading most of this story but had to pause when Tina resets to her former self to protect Julian from hurt.

[Heather Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Continuation

Was a bit worried about Julien and Tina getting together....but Maggie made it work and I left no doubt that these two belonged together.

Combine a unique couple with wonderful writing and honest story telling, The Prom Kiss is a must read.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, easy read for a hot afternoon. Mean girl and the nerd. Great combination.
Continuous will they , won't they hook up and go to the prom together. Read and find out if they do!
For the romantic at heart, old and young!!

[Kirsi Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a little on the fence with my rating. Im giving this four stars cause I really enjoyed the story. My only hang up is how often the author used some variation of the OMG phrase—not a fan. If that doesn’t bother you and you enjoy a fun high school romance, then give this one a go!

[Mary Weiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet

I loved this story it was nice and different. The Always reference was my favorite part of the ending. This story is a good one for teens to read and know it ok to just be yourself.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read a book where the heroine was a "mean girl." I liked the premise of looking inside people and believing they can change for the better.

Content: no sex. Scattered profanity, including names of Deity. Some mild violence.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done!! 💜

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from the first page until the very last. It has been very rare that I have been able to read a book in one day, but I was captivated by these characters instantaneously.