Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Jackson High #3

The Tomboy & the Movie Star

Rate this book
Meet Bernie Jewell,
Jackson High's biggest Tomboy

When Bernie is forced to prove herself... 
There’s only one guy willing to stand up to the class bully with her… 

The new Cute Nerd at school who makes her blush. 
(Since when did she have a thing for awkward nerds?) 

Only the new guy at school isn’t exactly the awkward nerd kids think he is…

Meet Kingsly Grant,
Hollywood's hottest teen Movie Star

He's just trying to be a normal teenager & win the girl.
Oh, and avoid the paparazzi. 

How hard can it be?


The Jackson High Series:
#1 The Nerd & the Quarterback (Ali & Dax, A Fake Boyfriend Romance)
#2 The Good Girl & the Bad Boy (Lacey & Grady, An Enemies to Lovers Romance)
#3 The Tomboy & the Movie Star (Bernie & Kingsly, A Fish Out-of-Water Romance)
#4 The Shy Girl & the Jock Next Door (Shay & TJ, A Best Friends to Lovers Romance)

Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2020

429 people are currently reading
425 people want to read

About the author

M.L. Collins

11 books106 followers
M.L. Collins has done stuff. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Fun stuff. Boring stuff. She believes in true love, laughing loud and often, being kind, and assuming the best in people until they show her otherwise.


She loves classic rock, old Motown, and ’90s country music. Just try to stop her from dancing. Although, please don’t, because she loves dancing. (But, for the love of Pete, do stop her from singing; only people who love her dearly should have to suffer through that.)


She hates naps, dill pickles, and scary movies. Loves windy days, dogs, and LOTR. She’s an unashamed lover of sprinkles on cupcakes.


M.L. loves reading and writing quirky sweet romance novels that makes you snicker, swoon, and sigh.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
345 (45%)
4 stars
238 (31%)
3 stars
145 (18%)
2 stars
31 (4%)
1 star
6 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Booktastically Amazing.
584 reviews463 followers
Want to read
June 26, 2021
In what world would I ever read this??

In this one. I would read it in this one. I honestly don't get why I do stuff like this, sometimes.
Profile Image for maelyn !.
106 reviews61 followers
March 13, 2022
bernie and kingsley stole my heart. I loved them so much! I just wish there was more angst. other than that, adored them!
Profile Image for ضحى الحداد.
Author 3 books638 followers
April 3, 2023
While I really wanted to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the others in the series, this one felt really lacking in comparison ..
In this book it's Bernie (Lacey's friend) story, we know from the last book that she was tasked to look after the new guy in school and show him around, also Bernie is a Tomboy who loves being a mechanic, which makes her sort of an outcast .. but little did she know that the new guy is actually Grant King, the famous actor who decided to take a vacation and be a regular high school boy, and Bernie got his attention so bad he will do anything to have her .. what will happen when she finds out who he is ?
Bernie was such a breath of fresh air, I miss girls like her, who don't take shit from anybody in a healthy way, she knows who she is without it being weird and she was the best thing this book had to offer, Grant was nice too, but he did come out as clingy and weird, if it was me I would stay away from him, because their relationship was moving so fast I didn't comprehend what happened, I really like this trope where the famous guy falls for the normal girl first .. but this one wasn't my cup of tea.. now we will move on to the last book .. TJ's story :D, sooo excited
Profile Image for Sophia s.
553 reviews
July 14, 2024
I LOVED THIS ONE!!!! so much more depth than the wattpad YA plots/characters in the first two books
Profile Image for Vibliophile.
1,591 reviews130 followers
September 21, 2020
The Jackalopes' awesomeness continues apace...!

So, the new nerdy student in school is really Kingsley Grant (which is spelled both - ly & - ley in the book, so OCD editing nazis beware), a movie heartthrob who is taking a break from everything to just experience the ordinary. Including LOTS of junk food, lol. (Hey, I did a 2 year stint of nutritional therapy with my kids, & I totally understand!)

Grant is fascinated by the enigmatic Bernie, who seems like a tomboy - well, technically, she is a tomboy - but she's so much more than that.

As a car-loving, wannabe auto mechanic Bernie's been teased about being a boy & derided about being a girl pretty much as long as she can remember, but she's getting tired of constantly fighting to be who she is when who she is is starting to feel isolated & lonely.

She already can't believe that geeky Grant could seriously be interested in her. What will happen when she finds out who he really is?

Lots of all the best kinds of feels is what happens - this book is the total package read! This is one of my absolute favorite YA series! 👍👍

*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

*Language: use of 1 h-ll & 2 sh-t but it's by a very ugly minor character in a way that emphasizes what an awful person he is - I would actually have no problem with my teen associating that kind of talk with such a negative portrayal
Profile Image for Sonia.
224 reviews6 followers
May 18, 2021
Loved it so much!!! Bernie’s and King’s story is amazing and this became my new go to comfort book. The best of the series and I hope there’s a fourth book!
Profile Image for funkelbunt.liest.
321 reviews5 followers
February 6, 2024
This book was just ... quite boring. I only finished it because I wanted to read the whole series . I don't like to do things half-heartedly... ^^

I really like the tomboy theme and a person who is not swayed by looks or popularity. But Bernie didn't do it for me. I didn't really get her or maybe it was just too much going on (death of a parent, adoption, being bullied, fame, two very big competitions, ...) for only under 200 pages to get to know the characters, understand and feel for them.

Don't get me wrong - I liked the characters (the most we already know from book 1 and 2) and could somewhat relate to their struggles and worries, but I didn't feel any chemistry between Bernie and Grant/Kingsly and that is a big problem for a romance.

So the relationship part disappointing to put it mildly and the rest was - like all the books due to it length or lack thereof - rushed, quickly resolved, just not deep enough to get really into it.

Not really looking forward to book 4, but I finish what I started. ;)
504 reviews2 followers
April 10, 2021
A sweet collection

I was in a 'book funk' when I came across this series of books. Must say these aren't my usual go too reads. The stories are clean with low angst which made them perfect for a lazy afternoon.

I was pleasantly by surprised will look forward to reading more from this author.
Profile Image for Tatiane Nicchetti.
101 reviews22 followers
September 19, 2021
I really liked this book. Bernie and Grant are perfect together! I would have given this book a solid 4 just because I liked their romance so much, but there are a few things at the end that i felt were too rushed...

Nonetheless, it is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who is after a cute romance with a badass tomboy
18 reviews
September 23, 2020
Sweet romance

The story is truly sweet . There is no ugliness that we usually read in high school romances where it comes to body shaming and bullying. It is also nice to read about a heroine who is strong and a hero who is a gentleman. Overall a very clean romance!
Profile Image for Cori Mcgowen.
235 reviews
November 26, 2020
A Sweet book!

A cute, sweet, short book with adorable characters. I really enjoyed King and Bernie together and would have loved an epilogue set five or so years in the future to see what they are up to then.
57 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2021
2 1/2 stars

this was a nice conclusion to the series, although my favourite was the second in the series, i felt the writing in general got better throughout the series

it was a sweet romance story

'sometimes you've got to live through an experience in order to learn life's greatest lesson'
Profile Image for Tiffany.
1,533 reviews14 followers
September 27, 2020
This is a cute, quick YA read which brings up a great point about trade schools and their importance. Contains: maybe two mild swear words and kisses.
79 reviews2 followers
January 26, 2021
Best of the series

This is the best book of the series...so far. Granted there are only 3books written but this one is the best.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,044 reviews
March 11, 2021
Must Read

This book messed my emotions completely. One of the best books in this series, I liked the other ones but this was the best.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Hill.
1 review
March 26, 2021
Funny

Sweet, fun and a great read. This series was just what I needed after a stressful week at work. Amazing.
Profile Image for Kera.
117 reviews
June 5, 2021
What a cute read!

I loved Bernie and Grant (or King). I loved seeing a strong female character and I loved Grant’s attitude toward his life. Bring on more cute books!
Profile Image for Misty.
286 reviews2 followers
June 16, 2021
Sweet romance

I liked this book. I do wish she would have beat Todd but I understand why she didn't. I was glad that she never tried to change herself, that they both accepted her.
Profile Image for Traci.
121 reviews28 followers
June 18, 2021
Meh. Thought of giving up on this because it was pretty dull but it finally picked up in he 2nd half. I didn't find Grant/King all that swoony (*shrug*), but Bernie was pretty cool.
Profile Image for Frances.
525 reviews
July 16, 2021
Sweet romance, emotional roller coaster and, bullies aside, filled with good hearted characters. Fast, easy read.
54 reviews
August 28, 2021
This is such a cute story! I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I would definitely suggest reading this if you like sweet , clean stories.
Profile Image for Lauren.
264 reviews5 followers
October 11, 2021
Cute story, pretty clean. There was some language towards the end for those who may be sensitive, but it was maybe the use of 2 Sh. words. Other than that I would recommend this sweet story.
Profile Image for Crystal.
277 reviews
December 15, 2021
Good

I loved Bernie. She was a great tomboy. Grant was pretty convincing as need and movie star too. This was a quick fun read.
Profile Image for Julie Spencer.
Author 83 books94 followers
January 12, 2022
Couldn't put it down.

Adorable story with just enough twists and turns to keep me turning pages and staying up way too late. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Love.
1,747 reviews5 followers
May 28, 2022
True Love Story

This is a amazing and breathtaking little love story with loveable and endearing characters and unforgettable moments as they journey to unconditional love
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.