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Popularity is Just an Equation

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Sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry. PiperThis isn’t how the rest of junior year is supposed to go. Prom is in a month and a half, and it should be a magical night with my boyfriend and all our friends.Except there’s one little problem.The guy who I’d been planning a future with kicked me to the curb out of the blue with little explanation. But don’t worry, he still wants to be friends. Now I’m out to prove a point. He wants to be popular? Well, I’ll beat him there and I have the perfect person in mind to help me get there. How hard can it really be?CarterMy future is on a set trajectory with me as an unwilling passenger. Piper Greenly isn’t part of that plan, but she asked for my help and even though I should say no, I agree to her ridiculous scheme to snag the guy and a spot at the popular table.It all sounded so simple.But I guess nothing really is as easy as it sounds.In a matter of weeks, my present is shaky and my future might not be as set as I thought. But I do know one thing—neither means anything without her.Too bad she wants my best friend.

236 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2020

207 people are currently reading
426 people want to read

About the author

A.R. Perry

7 books101 followers
A.R. Perry is a #1 Amazon bestselling author who has lived all over the US due to her wanderlust husband. She has a degree in photography and massage therapy yet spent the majority of her twenties working in human resources.

In her spare time, she can be found snuggled on the couch reading, beating the bejeezus out of a punching bag, or sleeping because the day is practically done. Thank goodness for coffee, chocolate, and Panic! At The Disco, or nothing would ever get done.


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5 stars
183 (31%)
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173 (29%)
3 stars
163 (27%)
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48 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Yoda.
576 reviews137 followers
November 9, 2020
I need to stop checking kindle recommendations. This wasn´t a total bust, I did enjoy most of the story as long as you keep your expectations low and judge it for what it´s meant to be, cute, sweet and feel-good high school romance.
33 reviews2 followers
September 12, 2020
I kept on going between giving this a 2 or 3 star rating and I ended up giving it a 2... It’s a short quick read and light and enjoyable.

I just think that our leading lady started to annoy me because she just didn’t let out the truth earlier on. I also felt like all the side characters had so many secrets themselves. I didn’t like that. It’s my first time reading a book by this author so I’m not sure if all the side character get their own stories (is this a series?) but I hope they do because maybe then some things would become clearer. This is especially the case for Claire and John. Oh heaven:

Spoilers ahead***

Basically Piper’s (h) ex-boyfriend hooks up with her best friend (after they’ve broken up) But it’s clear from the story that he broke up with Piper because he wanted to be with Claire. Which both he and Claire do not act on until later on. HOWEVER, then he gets jealous of Piper’s popularity so you can tell this dude cared too much about his own ass. And I can’t help but feel he also still wanted Piper. This isn’t clarified properly though. From what I can tell though, John was a selfish, inconsiderate, egotistical tool/jerk - but her got a happy ending. Yay. Not only that, but she forgives Claire so easily. If Claire and John have a book, I WOULD NOT READ IT. I just hated them as characters.

That being said though the author writes well, so if you’re a teen or just anyone looking for a cute, light book that’s not filled with too much angst, then this is good book to pick up for a few hours.
Profile Image for ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ .
1,537 reviews102 followers
June 25, 2020
Good book I wasn’t bored at all while reading this

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

**Spoilers. Splash throughout this review**

I understand what Piper did, but I figured that her plan wasn't going to work out as she planned and that someone would ruin whatever her and Carter had. Not only that, I knew that Claire and John had a thing for each other. They just gave me the vibes of a messed up friend and ex-boyfriend.

I can say Piper a good one for forgiving them both. Because I don't think I could've done such a thing! Smh! All I know is I was glad that she and Carter finally admitted to their feelings because they were dragging it far too long. I was over the denial. Even their friends (Blythe, Nash, and Jordan) knew that they both liked each other. They, especially Carter, was more in denial than Piper was to me.

It took Jordan to push them towards each other for them together. But take someone like John to ruin things for them. Claire wasn't a good friend either for telling John the plan that Piper had going on. She had to be so on like or love with John to snitch on her friend.

I felt like she wasn't a good friend anyways. Because she bailed on them so many times. To be with John. I don't care how much you liked your best friend ex-man. You at least have to talk to them. Because friendship could get ruin like that, I couldn't understand how Piper couldn't see what was going on I already knew what was happening when Claire had walked out of the cafeteria and John looked her away with sad eyes. Piper saw that but still didn't figure it out. Because she was to focused on her plan to ruin John, it didn't even ruin him at all. But I think she did them both a favor. Because in the end, they both got a deal at the popular table. Both hung out with Jordan, Nash, and Carter. She ended up dating Carter, and John and Carter became friends.


I mean, I never saw anything like it, just crazy. But I will say this I want a story (book) with Jordan and Blythe because I want to know what Is going on with the two of them. I am so curious; because I could tell something happened between those two.
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,135 reviews2 followers
May 5, 2020
There’s nothing wrong with Nash liking Piper. Hell, Piper can go after whoever she wants, too. It’s not as if she’s my girl.
My girl.
The words bounce around in my head and I have to admit, I like the sound of them way too much. More than I should.

“Am I interrupting something?
Both of us twist toward the door and find Carter leaning against the frame, glancing between us before focusing on Jordan’s arm still wrapped around my shoulders. I swear every muscle in his body stiffens.
“Hey,” I squeak because if looks could kill we would both drop dead.
“I’m just collecting our girl,” Jordan says with a squeeze.
“Our girl?” His voice turns harsh. Punctuated by Carter’s hands clenched into fists. “I wasn’t aware you two were tight.”

I absolutely love this book. The story, the plot, the characters were well written. I love Carter and Piper. The chemistry between Carter and Piper was undeniable. I love that Carter was already falling for Piper right at the start of the book. At first, I thought that I wasn’t going to like Nash because Carter made it sound like he wasn’t a good guy, but I like Nash. And I love Jordan. I hope that we get a book about Nash and another book about Jordan. A.R. Perry always knows how to write books that I end up swooning for. The message in this story was forgiveness, self-confidence (which I love), discovering oneself, friendship, and relationship. I have loved all the books that A.R. Perry has written. She is one of my favorite authors. 5 stars.
Profile Image for Carmen Davis.
456 reviews6 followers
April 20, 2020
This was pretty cute... I really loved Carter. He was seriously wonderful. Carter and Piper had great chemistry! I hope we get Jordan and Blythe's story... I loved both of them as well. Didn't care for Claire so we don't need that one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Shay.
347 reviews
August 31, 2020
This story was cute. It combined a lot of different YA tropes, but with some twists.

I think Carter and Piper's history was a bit odd. From the second chapter, Carter seems to be into her but says he can't be. But then he doesn't want to help her and think she's a weirdo. It just wasn't super clear.

I thought Piper's way of getting back at John was a bit roundabout. She should have just asked Carter to be her fake-boyfriend. At some point, she was going to hurt some boy, whether it was Nash or Carter, so I don't really know why she needed one to get to the other. It was just a bit convoluted.

I really liked reading the part with Carter, Nash, and Jordan. They were a bit crass, but I think it was very realistic. Most YA novels don't have a group of boys talking like boys. I liked that they were there for each other. And Jordan was get trying to get Piper and Carter together!

Obviously Blythe and Jordan's part were a bit curious. I really hope they get their own book!

The whole John and Claire thing was odd. I could tell early on what was going to happen, but it only showed up periodically. There was obviously something in the first few chapters, but then they both disappeared. Which made me forget what the whole point of Piper's plan was.

I could have done without the whole "wrong side of the tracks" aspect. It just didn't seem super prevalent or necessary. Additionally, the whole "my father doesn't understand me" seemed like an after thought. It wasn't until halfway through the book that it seemed like Carter had issues with his father. Also, if his dad was worried about money, I would think he would want Carter to go to school on scholarship but he thought football was a waste of time...?

I liked that they were juniors. Too often, in high school romances the characters are seniors. While that is a key time in kids lives, when they make big possibly life-changing decisions, junior year is just as important. And we didn't really have to deal with any of the issues of the characters struggling to figure out where they want to go.

Very cute. I REALLY hope we get another book with Blythe and Jordan!
Profile Image for funkelbunt.liest.
353 reviews5 followers
March 3, 2024
This was a quick and fun read but there were too many things that bugged me to be more than a more or less mindless read in between other books.

What annoyed me the most was the totally unfitting title. It started out fine when Piper, just dumped by her pretty awful boyfriend, decided to prove to him she could be more popular than him by following some simple steps. This idea gets totally lost quite early on in the book and I kept waiting for the next steps that never came.

Also I really didn’t understand why she didn’t tell Carter the truth from the beginning, that she wanted to be popular to get back at her boyfriend instead of making up a crush that never existed. And about the same topic - mild spoiler alert -

So this drama near the end was really unnecessary and it could have been a cute teen romance without the pretend crush and either including the equation for popularity consistently or not using a mathematical approach at all.

Besides all that, I really hated Piper’s best friend and it was totally obvious from the beginning what was going on there and even if I’m a big advocate for forgiveness, Piper shouldn’t have kept being friends. Forgiveness doesn’t mean being naive and gullible.

But of course there were things I liked or I probably would have DNFed. I liked both main characters. Carter more, he was really sweet. Piper was sometimes quite annoying, but she was nice enough and had great chemistry with Carter. It was a really fun read that had me hooked, I have to admit that! I finished it in one sitting. So I would recommend it as a quick and fun teenage book, but not if you get annoyed easily with unnecessary drama or if a book doesn’t follow through with a plot.
74 reviews32 followers
August 11, 2020
Really quick summer read, which has main characters with great chemistry. Lovely summer teen romance. Absolutely recommended for everyone who loves old friends to lovers trope. All the teenage drama was unnecessary, but it was probably the plot twist...

Carter is a a great guy. Considerate, funny, caring, helping his mother, clever, not judging...

Piper on the other hand... I could not understand her personality. She is supposedly a nerdy girl? she does not know what interests her at all? she has no idea what to do after school? Maybe we just see her in a bad time in her life, when she is heartbroken, so break-up with her ex-boyfriend is the only emotion, which controls her in this book... but we do not see anything about her interests, values, personality.. she tries to be someone else in this book and it was even pointed at the beginning, that she should not lose herself in the process... but it is impossible to change in a second... what does this girl like? Her friends, her parents, and Carter in the process... but I would like to see more to be able to care about her character...
Profile Image for ash :).
20 reviews
February 19, 2024
Honestly, may be more of a 2.75 stars. I enjoyed the characters and I'm really hoping there's a book for Blythe and Jordan but I just didn't like how unnecessarily convoluted the story became. Piper didn't give Carter enough credit - he seems like the kind of guy who would've helped her annoy her ex if she told the truth from the get-go.

Carter, Blythe (i love her) and Jordan are honestly the best characters. I really disliked both John and Claire and was kind of annoyed at how easily that was swept under the rug, even saying Carter and John are friends now? I mean okay i get that it was for their group's benefit but still doesn't sit right with me. Claire was also just a bad friend and extremely high and mighty despite being in the wrong. Fair enough, nothing happened whilst they were still together but if you knew it wasn't a crappy thing to do to a friend, you would've been honest.

And i LOVE Cristy's music taste, i mean Carter mentioned he'd listened to all of Taylor's albums because Cristy kept listening to those. sure she was Regina George (if she was like 10 times worse) but hey i'll give credit where it's due.
Profile Image for Lyddz.
55 reviews42 followers
January 2, 2021
Honestly, may be more of a 2.75 stars. I enjoyed the characters and I'm really hoping there's a book for Blythe and Jordan but I just didn't like how unecessarily convoluted the story became. Piper didn't give Carter enough credit - he seems like the kind of guy who would've helped her annoy her ex if she told the truth from the get-go.

Carter, Blythe and Jordan are honestly the best characters. I really disliked both John and Claire and was kind of annoyed at how easily that was swept under the rug, even saying Carter and John are friends now? If that was my boyfriend, he'd maybe tolerate John but he definitely wouldn't let him get away with anything, haha. Claire was also just a bad friend and extremely high and mighty despite being in the wrong. Fair enough, nothing happened whilst they were still together but if you knew it wasn't a crappy thing to do to a friend, you would've been honest.
Profile Image for Jamie  (The Kansan Reader).
686 reviews106 followers
June 12, 2021
Find all my reviews: https://jaynikkibelthoughts.wordpress...

I blink a few times, convinced I must have fallen into some vivid nightmare in the middle of the cafeteria because there's no way my boyfriend of two years dumped me out of nowhere. Over a plate of square, rubbery pizza, no less.

This book was much better than Heartbreak Café. I tend to give authors a second chance because I know not all books by the same author can be favorites for me. I will say I liked this one so much more.

Carter and Piper were adorable together. This would have a four-star but the Lord's name was taken in vain once and that's a no-no. After Piper is dumped by her boyfriend for two years she plans to get back at him by becoming popular. She enlists the help of an old friend.

I don't know if I will read another book by this author or if I may give her another shot. We will have to see.
Profile Image for emily.
146 reviews38 followers
April 16, 2022
it was fine, but it didn’t have me very excited and i was just reading it quickly for its short length and easy accessibility. the “i’m not like other girls” and “the golden boy” and the “i’m not in the high class for her to notice me” were all way too over the top.

side note: the simple grammar and writing mistakes were very so easy to spot when they popped up. you have to capitalize “i” in a sentence!! even if i’m not as i write this review

but here we follow Piper and Carter (names for my sake) as Carter tries to give Piper pointers on being in the popular circle after her boyfriend breaks up with her. by getting in the popular circle, they create a plan for the MOST popular guy to notice her, but they each fall for each other as they spend so much time together working on the plan (which was honestly not believable enough). but this is a friends-to acquaintances-to lovers, which i never really like anyway, but i was hoping my mind would change.
Profile Image for Franki.
401 reviews4 followers
April 10, 2020
This story has a nice message about turning the other cheek, forgiveness, and self-confidence.

This was a sweet love story where both characters felt like Cinderella, but really because of money/athletic prowess neither were. This might have watered down the effectiveness of the characters to be truly identifiable to the true Cinderellas of high school, but illustrated that we all have some of the same struggles and doubts.

I am removing a point for inappropriate humor. Though I did hear those same remarks in high school, I think books can illustrate ideas without repeating and propagating them.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Ali. S..
149 reviews
April 1, 2024
Wish I hadn't bothered. I hate when authors try to compare actually issues and get the main characters to dismiss them because "well hey I'm not perfect either"

They equated the main character telling someone that they had a crush on someone they didn't to the h's best friend getting with her boyfriend of two years within seconds of them breaking up. Yes it was cheating no matter how they tried to dismiss it as well as her "best friend" telling the ex everything about the h another total betrayal. Claire is a dumpster of a friend and the build up and them not addressing any of it apart from "i forgive you" in one conversation and then the ex is now best pals with them all, this made me hate this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
4,065 reviews
March 20, 2021
Awesome Read

I would never forget Claire and John because screw them. Oh my Lord I love me some Carter because just because. Jordan Mr. popular himself ain’t that bad but in the beginning I didn’t like them.I absolutely love B she’s hilarious and awesome . Red is pretty awesome too even though she made a mistake
4,012 reviews34 followers
April 5, 2020
The book is a good teen and young adult romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. The story is an enjoyable romance read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,051 reviews8 followers
April 6, 2020
Well written story. Enjoyable plot and well developed characters with complex relationships among them. Interesting background. Learning about life. Fighting for oneself and discovering oneself. Good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,863 reviews6 followers
May 13, 2020
I loved this roller coaster of a story. It was really well written and I loved how it played out. I really enjoyed how the book played out and would recommend it to others!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Annarisa.
230 reviews14 followers
January 2, 2021
What I like about this book.

1. The plot is simple. Revenge towards ex-boyfriend but not in a petty way. I mean it don't involve fake relationship.
2. ML is not a jerk.

What I dislike about this book.

1. The ex-girlfriend character is kinda cliché.
Profile Image for ArcmelaEsseleno.
321 reviews
February 3, 2022
I have mixed emotions about this. I just picked it up on a whim, and I didn't like it at first. Something about popularity does not sit well with me. Some of the things that happened here made me swoon a little. It was an enjoyable read, but it didn't stand out.
386 reviews14 followers
June 13, 2020
Okayyyy

There's way too much focus on physical assets and immature cursing. And there's no real nerdiness in the book. It's okay. I finished it.
Profile Image for piper :).
263 reviews1 follower
July 1, 2020
Was pretty ok, need a Blythe and Jordan book.
13 reviews
July 26, 2020
ok storyline not amazing
Profile Image for Anika K.
5 reviews
August 5, 2020
It kind of droned on and on, when they really could have been more concise with it. The ending also felt rushed
10 reviews
November 18, 2020
Me encanto

No pude parar de leerlo hasta el final. Es super dulce, me encantó que no hay groserías, ni escenas subidas de tono. Es un libro super dulce, ínocente.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
135 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2021
Enjoyable read

This was an easy read. I finished it in one sitting, pretty much. It was kinda predictable but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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