My Dilemma

by Pixie Perkins

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Megan Taylor’s life couldn’t get more average, or boring for that matter, but everything changes when her new neighbors move in; because now she has an extremely attractive guy living next door, named Brayden Knight.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The same Brayden Knight that used to be her middle school boyfriend. The same Brayden Knight that she gave an embarrassing breakup note to. The same Brayden Knight that moved away almost six years ago. And the same Brayden Knight that Megan thought she’d never see again.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Although now, it seems like she sees him everywhere. Which would be fine, except Brayden hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the popular guy, he’s still a troublemaker, he’s still annoying as ever, and to make things worse—Megan can’t get him out of her head.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Clean Romance

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2020

About the author

mostly fluffy • a little angsty • always swoonworthy • no spice

Pixie Perkins is a dedicated romantic, an avid fangirl, and she enjoys writing/reading love stories about people who aren't real...even though they should be! Blessed with the amazing life God has given her, Pixie also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking cookies for almost every occasion, watching movies and binging TV shows, listening to music, and sharing the gift of laughter as much as possible.

To keep up with Pixie’s books and her writing life, visit: www.pixieperkins.com

Subscribe to her newsletter at: www.pixieperkins.com/newsletter

Check out www.pixieperkins.com/nospicebookspree for MEGA sales on no spice romance books!

Reviews

[Abigail McKenna]

*3.5 stars

Note to self: Stop saying stupid stuff that ends up biting you in the butt.

((a line which is, arguably, iconic))

Sometimes I'll come across a book that makes me want to go back in time and hand it to a younger version of myself. This is one of those books. Not that 20-something me didn't enjoy it (I did), but 15 or 16-year-old me would have loved it so much more.

To be honest, I didn't like Megan. At first, she was fine, but as the story progressed she just started to bother me? Like, girlfriend, you can't be mad at Brayden for not talking to you when you shut down his earlier attempts to talk to you? I will say, she made me laugh quite a bit. Her inner snark was top tier. Oh also really didn't like her family and their dynamic. Idk, it just felt like maybe these people don't even like each other, and I wasn't about it. (the exception to this being Kyle because he's adorable xD)

Now, Brayden, I loved. He's such a cutie and such a good guy, and I just want him to be happy forever thank you. Also really enjoyed the characters of Lora and Holt, they're a lot of fun.

Overall, I'd hand this to a girl of 15-17 and the chances are pretty good that she'll love it. I'm definitely interested in picking up more of Pixie Perkins' books in the future! 3.5 stars from me!

**I received a free copy of this book from the author. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**

[pran?]

Comment: I've never been much of a fan of clean romances, and though the first two books by Pixie weren't THAT great, she slowly picked up pace and I'm TELLING you guys right now, if you don't like My Fiance's Best Friend and My Dilemma, I'll give up eating chocolates!(there was a reason I didn't say listening to music or reading books, lol).
My Fiance's Best Friend became an instant favorite and Pixie's kept up her level, and in fact, upped it EVEN more! I first got to know about this book through her website and when I read an excerpt of it, in that moment, I knew that I just HAD to read it, and so, here I am, done with the book(though I actually completed it a few days back), and reviewing it!
My Review: 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝐢𝐟 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓮𝔀 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝔤𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔢𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞?
Honestly, this booked kept me HOOKED from the words 'set,go'. I 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓭 each word and page, and the book made soooo many butterflies do a shimmy in my stomach! Honestly, I JUST couldn't have picked a better book to start my ARC reading with!(Every month, I have like this separate ARC reading week 'cause when I have a pdf sitting in my laptop and not the ebook on my kindle, and even though I prefer pdf's, I just get soooo lazy, knowing that I have the book sitting RIGHT there on my desktop.)And also, like Pixie pointed out, spend National Literary Reading!
It was a slow-burn romance, and I don't think I even have any nails left after those furious nail biting sessions I had while reading this, just waiting for Megan and Brayden to get together!(THis is why I just haaaate slow-burns, , they make you wait soooo much!!!**me crying**)
A simple break-up note. That's what it ALL takes to get a person outta your life, right?
𝘞𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.
Megan Taylor’s life couldn’t get more average, or boring for that matter, but everything changes when her new neighbors move in;
because now she has an extremely attractive guy living next door, named Brayden Knight.
The same Brayden Knight that used to be her middle school boyfriend. Thesame Brayden Knight that she gave an embarrassing breakup note to.
Thesame Brayden Knight that moved away almost six years ago. And, the same Brayden Knight that Megan thought she’d never see again.
Although now, it seems like she sees him everywhere. Which would be fine, except Brayden hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the popular guy, he’s still a troublemaker, he’s still annoying as ever, and to make things worse—Megan can’t get him out of her head.
This book's DEFINITELY a must read for EVERYBODY!!!

[Phyllis]

A snarky romance

My rating is 3.5 stars

Pixie Perkins has written another cute High School romance. My Dilemma is told by Megan alone, which was a great choice for this story.

I had to smile at Megan's breakup note. What she said, why she said it, and why she didn't change it when she thought better of it... So funny! And her friend Lora's sage advice (not!) added to the humor.

Hallie, Megan's younger sister, was another fun character. I smiled at her rapidly changing emotions and the way she went from being downright annoying to being rather sweet.

There were several humorous moments. I cracked up when Megan first met the next-door neighbor and threw the treat her mom sent over at his feet. When, later, she realized she needed to do something so her mom wouldn't find out, the result was quite funny. This was the one time I really wished I knew what was happening in Brayden's mind - and would have loved to hear the conversation at his house after that!

Brayden was great! He was a bit cocky, teased a whole lot, and was quite a flirt - towards Megan. And yet he was still a bit insecure and afraid to let her know what he was thinking or how he felt. And I especially liked the way he was so kind to Kyle, Megan's little brother.

I was a bit annoyed with Megan through a portion of the story. She was whiny and sullen towards pretty much everyone. She did make me like her a little more towards the end. While I understand why the author chose to have her act as she did, it did cause me to question why in the world Brayden didn't just brush her off and wash his hands of her.

When the author asked me to review, I asked her if there are any content warnings. This was her reply:

No sex, gore, or language. Phrases like \"I curse\" are present, along with words like dang/flippin\'/suck(s). Examples of suck(s): \"suck it up\" & \"my life sucks\" & \"tonight is going to suck.\" The main guy is shirtless at one point (no undressing, he\'s already shirtless when the main girl sees him), and the main girl does mentally \"gush\" about his physique on a few different occasions (I know some readers may not approve of this, so I figured that I\'d mention it just in case). Making out is mentioned but not in a graphic and/or inappropriate way. There is also kissing, but nothing too steamy. 😉

My Dilemma is a fun story for readers of Young Adult fiction.

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own."

[Anna]

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
My Dilemma was made for those of us who imagined we’d stay with our middle school boyfriends/crushes forever. Megan broke up with Brayden years ago, and when he moved, she assumed she would never see him again. When he unexpectedly moves back to town senior year, Megan’s expectations are challenged and learns that their journey may have just started...
I really enjoyed My Dilemma! It’s a cute, clean romance and I flew through it. Hailee, Megan’s little sister, is absolutely hilarious, and Brayden is so dreamy!
If you’re looking for a clean, lighthearted YA romance, I would definitely recommend My Dilemma!

[Nari]

This story reminds me a little of a modern day teenage version of Jane Austen’s persuasion. Megan broke up with Brayden 6 yrs before because her friend told her to. Now he is back and Megan doesn’t know what to do. Will there be a second chance for them?

[Judy Gittleson Hendrickson]

Megan and Brayden had a relationship six years ago in grade school and she broke it off with a note. Now he lives and breathes next door..... PANIC mode. They cross paths all over town and the people around them are not making it any easier. The typical H.S. bullies and snarky girls that take away your joy in life. The teenage banter brought back a lot of memories (not all good) and made me laugh out loud a lot. Her younger sister pest is a lot like my younger brother pest, and I do not miss that period of my life at all. This has all the emotional rollercoaster rides that high school life is all about. Being backup for a girlfriend on a first date, in case she needed an out. Only way as we did not have cell phones back in the 70s. The book was all the hilarious memories of high school rolled into one.

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

[Ann S.]

Cute, funny, all the high school & middle school vibes!

You guys from page one I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I was laughing out loud and like waiting impatiently to turn each page to see what these fun characters would say or do. It just brought me back to all the feelings and emotions of middle school and highschool. I also had preteen crushes and hoped we would be married someday. 😂 I felt it was such a fun and real story. I loved the MC and the love interest. I seriously ADORED the family dynamic. What this story really has going for it is the characters, they are real, flawed and vulnerable with each other. I also loved the little sister soooo much! I could go on it was such a great read!
Thank you for the ARC! All the feelings and opinions are my own.*

[Beyond the Title Page Cary W.]

My Dilemma is a sweet YA romance by Pixie Perkins. I enjoyed reading the complex emotions involved, and it was sweet to watch Megan's relationship with her sister mature from tolerance to a sort of camaraderie as they both grow and learn. The relationships between supporting characters was another plus. I will be watching for another book from Pixie Perkins; this one didn't last long enough! 😊 

While I did enjoy this book, there were a couple things that I felt could have been improved, hence the four star rating. Little attention is given to seeing Brayden's perspective, so we don't find out what he is thinking until they actually talk the situation through towards the end of the book. Also, the word sexy was used a few times in ways that make me a bit hesitant the book to anyone who doesn't have a level head on their shoulders. Overall, though, the book was a clean romance and I enjoyed laughing along with the characters. 

[Jess Kranenburg]

My Dilemma is VERY YA but that didn’t stop me from wanting more and wanting to find out what happens next. I didn’t like the main character Megan, in the beginning. I found her very juvenile in her actions and the way she handled things but she grew on me by the end. I did love how the relationship changed and developed between Megan and her sister, they stopped being so hostile and I reckon they would of become quite close had the story kept going. My Dilemma is a feel good, light easy read and I recommend it to anyone who needs something with the feel good vibe or is a YA fan.

[Joan]

Teenage dilemma

Sweet young adult second chance romance. Even though Megan’s thoughts and feelings are very high schoolish and annoying, they’re also realistic, I found myself relating to her often. Brayden also has problems admitting how he feels, but his caring and loyalty never falter. Pixie Perkins has done a great job of portraying a teenage dilemma.

[Kimberly]

The book is a good teen and young adult sweet romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry.

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

[Ruth Callon]

If you had a middle school crush and dreamed of dating that said crush, Pixie Perkins has a fun read for you. It's fun, filled with teenage dating drama and sweet, blushing moments.

[Alexandra]

Love it

[Michelle L. E. Price]

snarky, but you’ll love him

A sweet, teen romance — but this one is pretty adorbs. I definitely laughed out loud at her inner monologue, but never really connected with Megan. But Brayden… loved him!

[Sierra]

Meg + Brayden


This was a cute second chance romance!

I loved the sibling dynamics between Megan and her middle school sister and her elementary school brother. 😂 As an oldest sibling, I can attest to it being accurately displayed. From the ‘borrowing’ of items to the entering of rooms without knocking, it is so funny when it’s not happening to you.

Anyways, here’s more on the plot!

We start of with a prologue of Meg and her best friend at the middle school age talking about Meg’s boyfriend (Brayden). Lora is trying to be the good friend and working on convincing Meg that she needs to dump Brayden. So they create a list. Then Lora leaves and tells Meg to break up with him now that they went over the valid reasons to(well mostly valid,but Lora doesn’t know that). But Meg doesn’t want to break up with him in person, so she writes him a note and includes the reasons why she’s breaking up with him. And tells him she’d still like to be friends (even though she’s not sure if she wants that).

Fast forward 6 years to our present events.

Meg has new neighbors moving in next door and with her mom on the neighborhood committee, she wants to welcome them. So Mom sends Meg over with blueberry bread for the neighbors. Meg is expecting an older couple, but when she gets over there she is shocked to find a boy her age. An annoyingly handsome boy.

Come to find out that this new neighbor is the same boy Meg broke up with all those years ago. Awkward…

Meg does her best to try and stay away from Brayden, but he seems to be everywhere. Throw in Meg’s little sister who fancies herself a matchmaker from watching tv shows, and Meg can’t get away from him. Nor get him out of her mind.

Is she willing to give Brayden a second chance or will she hide her heart the best she can? Is Brayden even interested in her after that embarrassing break-up note?

I guess you just need to pick-up a copy to find out 👀

[Tricia Anson]

YA romance isn’t specifically my go-to genre, but there is just something about a sweet high-school romance that is like the perfect not-guilty, guilty pleasure. 🙃😂
This was a fun, witty, sarcastic second chance romance. It gave me “To All the Boys I Loved Before” vibes (confession—I’ve only seen the movie 🙈) and was a sweet, lighthearted read that left a goofy smile on my face.

Grab this book when you need a pick me up!

[Angelina Singer]

I loved this concept, but I found the main character of Megan to be a bit, well, irritating at times. The plot also seemed to stay mostly in the same place. That being said, I did really enjoy the swoon-worthy moments with Brayden. The developments of their two personalities seemed realistic, even if Megan overthinks basically everything. I'd check out what else this author has written - she has a fun narrative voice and a quirky style which I really liked.

[Culture-Vulture]

This was odd/bizarre for me to read, because growing up, there was a couple I was around a lot who were almost exactly like these two. They met when quite young, loved each other deeply, but the guy being good-looking and super popular was a huge hurdle, despite the fact that the girl was popular and beautiful, too. The guy would stray (and usually hide it), they would fight, get back together, love each other, hurt each other...but never really communicate. The girl was hamstrung by her low self esteem, while the guy was a typical alphahole horndog, even though he loved her. It made it impossible for them to really talk openly with each other. They should never have met. It was real love, but it was seriously horrible, too, in many ways. God burdened them with that terrible love, and they both had a great life with each other (he went on to become very rich and successful) while also suffering a lot due to each other (escalating fights). They were only free of their cycles of deep love mixed with painful insanity when he died. Her hair went white a few days after he died. She both hated him and loved him, in equal measure, by the time he died. They were a real trip, those two. These characters reminded of the young version of the couple I knew.

It's thanks to them that I don't trust passion. It can burn you down and crumble you into dust. And the kinds of guys who ignite that kind of crazed passion in a woman are usually also the ones who WILL stray (what with so many women throwing themselves at such guys, they start to think it's okay to have multiple sex partners, as long as they commit their "real love" to their "main girl"). No matter what anyone will say to the contrary, there's no way you can share the man you love with a passion. When he strays, it will kill your soul. Imagine having kids with such a guy, and an entrenched life you can't walk away from. A painful love you can't leave. Fucking nightmare.

This novel made me cringe inside, since I know there's never going to be a peaceful HEA for this kind of couple. Shudder. I'll take books over men/love, thanks.



4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐. (I cut 1 Star because the overuse of the word "drawled"/"drawl" bordered on the criminal.)

[Katie Marie]

This book just wasn’t for me. If I was a younger teen, maybe, but as it is I just found myself super annoyed with the MC and cringing at everything. 😅 I couldn’t relate to the characters at all, because apparently siblings, parents, and your ex boyfriend from when you were 12 (yes, you heard me 🙄) are all to be hated. Which is just so unrealistic and honestly off putting. The MC was such a brat, so moody about everything, completely unlikeable (seriously have no idea what Brayden saw in her because she was literally never nice to him. I’m not even exaggerating, that girl was sooo rude to him at every turn) and would get SO ANNOYED at the littlest thing to where I didn’t like her at all. And then add on top of that that all of these characters were dating in middle school, when they’re literal children and don’t even know what dating means, and are cursing 24/7 (not written out, just mentioned like “she let out a curse, she cursed underneath her breath, she mentally cursed, she saw him and cursed, etc, etc, etc”) I just didn’t really like this book. It may be for some people, but sadly just not for me. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[☆ susan ☆]

mixed feelings

first of all, let me just say that this book made me feel so nostalgic. megan was a very realistic teenager. her thought process, the way she acted with her siblings, how she spoke with her mom etc cracked me up because… teens you know?

even her struggles made me laugh because they were so childish. not that there’s anything wrong with it at all—it just took me back to the old times.

one thing i didn’t really enjoy about this book was that there was barely any romance. megan spent 95% of the book pushing brayden away. they barely spent 3 minutes with each other and when they did, megan spent the whole time being passive aggressive while brayden backed off. they wasn’t much of that back and forth bickering. at one point, i was really frustrated with megan.

i think they got together around 96-97% of the book? and then the book quickly ended. i felt no satisfaction from it.

[Happy Reading Watching]

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐘𝐀 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬?
𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐀 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬!

𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 (𝐌𝐂) 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐏𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰!

If you like...
✔Clean books
✔Romance
✔School Settings
✔Reconnecting stories

Romance
Some Kissing
♡♡♡♡

Book Synopsis:
"Megan Taylor’s life couldn’t get more average, or boring for that matter, but everything changes when her new neighbors move in; because now she has an extremely attractive guy living next door, named Brayden Knight.
The same Brayden Knight that used to be her middle school boyfriend."

[✞emerson✞ [levi coldwell’s version]]

3 stars ⭐️

The authors style is JUST . . . just so funny. I was laughing out loud multiple times. There are actually too many good quotes I highlighted to choose a favorite 🤣 But the sibling rivalry stuff was kind of intense and uncomfortable. Like, they really weren't nice or respectful to each other (or their parents). And coming from an author who claims to be a Christian, it's just kinda disappointing to read that.

The romance was cute (I think . . . I can't even really remember lol)

[LaRae Galloway]

To me the book was just ok. The teenage banter brought back some memories but I thought Megan was very immature and it bothered me. I would have enjoyed hearing Braydons thoughts throughout the book too.

[Gail]

sucks

65% of this book is spent with him having something to tell her & her avoiding him & refusing to listen. Then it gets worse. She’s the most selfish twit ever. He’s too good for her. I wished her little sister had ended up married to him. That’s how much this sucked.

[emmie powell]

This book was a little annoying. The main character was a jerk sometimes and fr fr holds a grudge like nobody's business! Like, she keeps getting over something that happened in 6th grade! She's a senior now! She neeeeeeeeds to let it go!

Other than that it was fun. Not Pixie Perkins finest, tho.

[Jennifer]

No character development

The main character is annoying. She's always upset at someone. The story doesn't really go anywhere. It had potential, but sadly, fell short.

[Pearl]

reads like bad fanfic

[Monica Hansel]

3.5

[Ruthie Palmer]

2.5 stars. It was very slow and there weren’t many scenes with the two main characters together. I definitely enjoyed Megan’s snarky comments and thoughts, but this book wasn’t for me.

[FLOSS]

I guess this book was really mid because I don’t remember reading it three weeks ago. I thought it was an okay romance. The female main character really annoyed me because she refused to give the male main character a second chance even though he was trying to put their history behind them. She was really immature and I disliked her with a passion.