The Perfect Match

Kissing the Enemy #2

by Maggie Dallen

The new guy at school was officially Kate's worst nightmare. And that was before he turned her world upside down with a mind-blowing kiss.

Kate's an introvert. Levis is...not. Some might say he's a loudmouthed jerk. Kate definitely would, especially since he seems determined to make her life miserable by putting her in the spotlight every chance he gets. His opportunities are endless now that she's babysitting his little brother, and when they're paired up together for an intramural scrimmage? Well, there's no hope of avoiding him now. She's stuck with him, for better or worse.

But after her nemesis turned teammate kisses her, Kate has a much bigger problem on her hands. Suddenly Levi's mockery seems more like teasing, and what she thought were attempts to humiliate her feel like the push she needs to overcome her fears. So really, the problem isn't that she's stuck with Levi as her partner...it's the fact that she might be falling for her worst enemy.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Sports Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, High School

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2018

Reviews

[Amaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introvert vs Extrovert love match.
As always, whenever am in the mood for a cute, and quick read, Maggie Dallen delivers, and she never disappoints.

[Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh no you guys! There was no chemistry to be found, and the main couple felt so flat. RTC

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, simple, very short (5hrs audio), sweet & satisfying YA romance. Sometimes that’s just the ticket. Nothing special about it but nothing wrong with it. I liked it.
3.5 stars, rounding up.

The plot was their love story, the relationship development.
Writing was good (dual perspective), and I liked both characters.
Banter was average.
Chemistry was average.

Content- clean. No swearing. The MMC made two pretty raunchy jokes at the beginning but that was it. (It was his coping mechanism to make people laugh so he didn’t have to be serious or let people in. The author, Maggie Dallen, seems to have her characters require and experience emotional growth like that, which I have liked so far.)

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody does YA high school romance better than Maggie Dallen. Each of her stories are unique but still manages to totally resonate with her readers. That’s certainly true with her latest, The Perfect Match (Kissing the Enemy Book 2). It stars two of the secondary characters from the first book in this new series (The Perfect Catch, separately reviewed), Kate and Levi. It’s a tale of seemingly opposites attraction to each other. I say seemingly because we learn by the end that (for reasons I will not go into as I don’t want to spoil this), fundamentally they have much in common. It’s also the story about the emotional bravery of a shy girl (Kate). Seems counter-intuitive, I know, but by the end of the book you’ll totally understand why this makes perfect sense, even as Kate evolves emotionally and Levi does as well, though his issues are in many ways the opposite of Kate’s. I never had the issues either lead here has (unlike other books by this author where I totally identify with the heroine), but they are totally genuine and I totally expect that there will be many who identify themselves with these characters. That’s an amazing achievement for a pretty amazing book. 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 - this book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note this book is most definitely “one to read”. It is amazingly easy to highly recommend it. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the Kissing the Enemy series.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cute. Loved watching Kate slowly come out of her shell while Levi took a good look at himself. Little Bobby upped the cute quotient, and I was happy to see Levi's relationship with him take a turn for the better as well. The ending surpassed my expectations. I had no idea I would get that level of closure, so you know I was delighted. Super fun, super cute, and really hit the spot for me.

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[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe a lot of people put a mask on, to hide their true selves from the world.
In this story we have two people doing just that, although it takes them a while to realize what they're doing. Whether it hiding behind a crop of hair, not making eye contact, and barely acknowledging someone, the mask of shyness can be very debilitating, having even a physical effect of nausea and vomiting, due to the stress the person affected is under.
The other mask is that of the comedian, using with and sarcasm to ensure no one gets too close.
Both masks are to ensure that no one gets to friendly and close.
See how our two heroes destroy their own handicaps, freeing themselves from mental stress and trauma, allowing other people into their safe havens.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for this story ever since I read the Perfect Catch, the first book in the series. I've had a soft spot for Kate and Levi since then, and I really like how their story turned out. :)

To be honest, in some ways I can relate to Kate all too well (except I never was and never will be a star on the soccer field), and I get her exasperation and frustration at being confronted with a guy like Levi. :D
As usual with Maggie's YA books, The Perfect Match is a "team effort" (regarding the cast of characters, at least), and Kate and Levi's friends and families sometimes totally steal the show.

[annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

going into it blind, i did not realize she was an introvert, and as the most introverted person i know, this felt interesting.. and outdated? like i do not know anyone introverted or not that would sit in their room and just listen to music, like no phone or like doing anything. anyways i actually think i am in the wrong here, because i think someone could be introverted like her or listen to music in their room with nothing going on.

the relationship was ok? he fell too fast and for no reason. girlie was ignoring him and not in that playboy way where he’s interested in her because she doesn’t pay attention to him, like she was literally looking at her lap at the lunch table. if it was about her soccer skills i would get, but they didn’t play that much soccer in the beginning. also she was like weirdly annoyed / did not like him, and i do get him like insulting her to get a rise out of her was not my favorite thing ever, but he felt harmless(?), but she had this weird like thing about him and it lowkey felt like a one sided enemies to lovers, but she didn’t really have anything to hate him for.

anyways i thought it was okay,,

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

let me say something first: why is the first book selt as "clean, just kisses, no f words" and this one says "get laid" "ass" "d-ck" // look, I don't care but I know many adults (responsible ones) check what their teens read, even tweens, so imagine assuming book 2 is also that way and then this happens. again, I don't care but I don't think it was needed for the plot to add that. idk I just hate when people aren't coherent. also this is very juvenile (I don't mind) but my point is, if you know your target audience, why don't you follow your own rules.

***
now my review:
this is better than book 1. the romance is sweet and ✨Levi ✨ he's so funny and cute, this is a very healthy and sweet romance book. I'm giving 4 stars just because of Levi, Kate's parts were a bit boring to me. anyway, i do recommend to read this one even if you didn't enjoyed book 1 or you did.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the second installment in Maggie Dallen’s Kissing the Enemy series! Kate is definitely my favorite character as a introvert myself I totally felt for her character every day was a struggle for her but she never let that stop her. Levi wasn’t expecting Kate and he didn’t know how to deal with his feelings for her which sometimes caused him to hurt her feelings in the processes they might look like opposites but they have many things in common. With some miss understandings, hurt feelings and one unexpected kiss the story keeps you reading fallowing as they evolve and work out their issues and once they do swoon is all I have to say Levi definitely makes up for being a bit of a jerk at the beginning. Loved this one and definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Vibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love casting out fear

I really enjoyed this beauty and the beast flavored story. Levi and Kate both have issues to overcome and end up finding healing with each other.

Clean romance level: sweet kisses, heroine fleetingly thinks at one point that a first date might expect sex but nothing further develops

I enjoy all of Maggie Dallen's teen/YA books (though fair warning, many of her adult books are not clean), but she does liberally use the Lord's Name in vain. I wish authors would show consideration for all of their readers. It seems to me that if one doesn't believe in God, then one shouldn't feel the need to use or abuse His Name.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL! This second entry into Dallen's Kissing the Enemy series is just as fun and lighthearted as the first, with just enough drama to keep things interesting. Though it is possible that there is even less sport in this book (in this case, soccer) than there was in the first book in the series, as Dallen keeps the focus on the romance side of things. Which is fine, for a romance book. I was just kinda interested in the sports too. (Hey, I'm a guy :D) Excellent story, easy read. Very much recommended.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

-‘“We were hoping teaming you up would help you to see the necessity of trusting your teammates, Kate.” He looked between the two of us. “You’re both star players but this isn’t a solo sport. You don’t need improvements in skill, but you do need to learn how to trust your teammates.”’-

I didn’t really connect with this one as much. Personally, I thought Levi was a total jerk and Kate deserved better. I prefer her other series. But, I’m sure many will like it. Just not for me this time. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review it. These are just my own honest opinions.

[Kaele’s Krazy Book Obsession · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! Book one was cute. But book two blew it out of the water. I don’t think I’ve related to a main character more. I’m such an introvert and hate being in the spotlight. So I completely understood her comfort zone, being forced into the spotlight, running away when scared... etc it was very me. I would have done the same thing. Loved Levi’s character progression. Man, he bugged me as much as he bugged Kate at the beginning. Just let us hide in the corner in peace! But he was exactly what she needed to bring her out of her shell. Great read.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thumbs up.

I really like Kate and Levi. They're good for each other. Watching them work through crippling anxiety and abandonment issues was beautiful, if a little too easy at times. I'm super excited to read the next one and finally see inside Ox's head!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! 💕

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.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars This is the first book I have read by this author. It started out okay, but then both of the main characters quickly got on my nerves. The plot was nothing new, and the ending was wrapped up to quickly. Overall, it was pretty “meh.”

[Rhonda Cattani · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO good.

Everything about this book was just SO good. Perspective from each character was so well done and so brilliantly executed. The chemistry and psychology were so smooth without being too heady or too fluffy. Loved it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

Why did have to be a jerk at first ? It didn’t make a very good first impression but I understand it was to hide the hurt. He should’ve told her as soon as he found the information but it all worked out well in the end.

[Chy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the most ridiculous book I’ve ever read. So corny. So “written by a 14 year old”. So not it. However it was the only audiobook that seemed interesting enough to listen to while I cleaned so…yeah

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Cute!

[KUAvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cocky guy meets sweet introvert. Loved it! First I was drawn in because they are soccer players! Levi and Kate are so sweet! Loved reading their story!

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the story was extremely cute! Loved the ending 💗💗

[Katryne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story and the characters cracks me up!
😂

[Namratha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was rather sweet and endearing.
Also.....I want to read more about the enigmatic Ox. :)

[Caz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute and fast, if not a bit of a boring and frustrating read.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Levi was such a jerk face at the beginning of the book that I almost quit reading it. He did improve, but it was hard to like him.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love This Series!

First Noah and Callie, now Late and Levi. Such great stories!! Thinking John Hughes all the way!! Young adult read for any age!! Must read!!

[Karissa]

I think that it is a really sweet and amazing book. I also would recommend this book to anyone that is into romantic books.