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Revenge of the Nerd Goddess
Who says the smart girl can't get the quarterback?
When Dakota moves to her new high school, she has a run-in with three jerks. They may moo at her in the hallway, but she can bide her time and plan an act of appropriate revenge for them. Being smart, after all, has its perks.
In the meantime, she has to keep her mother from marrying the wrong man. The “wrong man" pretty much means any and all of them.
Then there's the hot quarterback at school. She keeps running into him in. And oh yeah, he likes the girl who may end up being Dakota's stepsister.
That's not problematic. Except when Dakota gets distracted by his broad shoulders and tawny brown eyes.
He seems to like her, but he can't possibly, can he?
Quarterbacks don't go for nerd goddesses. Or maybe they do.
Revenge of the Nerd Goddess is a sweet, teen romantic comedy that will have you laughing, rooting for the heroine, and wondering if you should have taken more computer classes in high school. It deals with bullying (who didn't get bullied at some point in high school?) and the challenges of blended families. It has HEA ending because all teenage girls deserve happy endings!
When Dakota moves to her new high school, she has a run-in with three jerks. They may moo at her in the hallway, but she can bide her time and plan an act of appropriate revenge for them. Being smart, after all, has its perks.
In the meantime, she has to keep her mother from marrying the wrong man. The “wrong man" pretty much means any and all of them.
Then there's the hot quarterback at school. She keeps running into him in. And oh yeah, he likes the girl who may end up being Dakota's stepsister.
That's not problematic. Except when Dakota gets distracted by his broad shoulders and tawny brown eyes.
He seems to like her, but he can't possibly, can he?
Quarterbacks don't go for nerd goddesses. Or maybe they do.
Revenge of the Nerd Goddess is a sweet, teen romantic comedy that will have you laughing, rooting for the heroine, and wondering if you should have taken more computer classes in high school. It deals with bullying (who didn't get bullied at some point in high school?) and the challenges of blended families. It has HEA ending because all teenage girls deserve happy endings!
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 27, 2022
154 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
Janette Rallison
74 books1,994 followersCheck out my awesome book trailers!
My Unfair Godmother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AlRg0...
My Fair Godmother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1jF8...
Just One Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP1Nce...
My Double Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuswp...
Janette Rallison has five children who keep her well supplied with plot ideas, sometimes even making cameo appearances in her novels. She likes to write romantic comedy because there is enough angst in real life, but theres a drastic shortage on both humor and romance.
Playing the Field was named Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award Honor Book, and both Alls Fair In Love, War, and High School and Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws were included on YALSAs Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list. Fame Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, was just chosen for IRAs YA Choices list for 2007
"
My Unfair Godmother:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AlRg0...
My Fair Godmother: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up1jF8...
Just One Wish: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP1Nce...
My Double Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuswp...
Janette Rallison has five children who keep her well supplied with plot ideas, sometimes even making cameo appearances in her novels. She likes to write romantic comedy because there is enough angst in real life, but theres a drastic shortage on both humor and romance.
Playing the Field was named Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award Honor Book, and both Alls Fair In Love, War, and High School and Love, Life, and the Pursuit of Free Throws were included on YALSAs Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults list. Fame Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List, was just chosen for IRAs YA Choices list for 2007
"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 12, 2023
This is a pretty good YA with a light romance and excellent characters. Rallison does a lot right with this story, though the beginning was a bit hard for me.
Dakota has a ways to go to mature into a reasonable adult to start this story. She is clinging to the past and the father who died four years ago, wanting to be loyal to him. Unfortunately, she reads that as permission to sabotage her mother, and not just in dating (though that's the biggest manifestation). She is smart, so her manipulations are initially quite successful and she feels a bit smug in being able to pull it off in ways she terms as "having control" over her life when what she really means is controlling others.
Fortunately, Rallison is very good with this age group and Dakota's journey felt authentic as she begins to realize how broken her actions are and to start asking herself what kind of person she really wants to be. This is helped along by her mother (who I liked rather a lot) as well as her paying attention to her own happiness and how it affects her when she gives in to her meanest impulses.
This ended up being a very solid four stars with characters I grew to love. The initial meanness was hard for me to get over, even as I acknowledge how important it was to the story and eventual character arc. But it was well worth for how it progressed and I loved the end more than a little.
A note about Faithful: Dakota's family is strongly religious. They attend church and her youth group plays a strong role in the story. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and knowing Rallison is a member), I detected a lot of our structure in the story, but Rallison keeps it pretty low-key. So there are no identifying or confirming aspects that would tag this as specifically LDS turning this into a really strong Christian representation that readers can probably map easily to their own faith community experience.
A note about Chaste: The romance doesn't progress far enough for sex, or even intimacy, to be a question, so this is very chaste. Frankly, given the strong Christian elements, it would have likely been strongly chaste regardless.
Dakota has a ways to go to mature into a reasonable adult to start this story. She is clinging to the past and the father who died four years ago, wanting to be loyal to him. Unfortunately, she reads that as permission to sabotage her mother, and not just in dating (though that's the biggest manifestation). She is smart, so her manipulations are initially quite successful and she feels a bit smug in being able to pull it off in ways she terms as "having control" over her life when what she really means is controlling others.
Fortunately, Rallison is very good with this age group and Dakota's journey felt authentic as she begins to realize how broken her actions are and to start asking herself what kind of person she really wants to be. This is helped along by her mother (who I liked rather a lot) as well as her paying attention to her own happiness and how it affects her when she gives in to her meanest impulses.
This ended up being a very solid four stars with characters I grew to love. The initial meanness was hard for me to get over, even as I acknowledge how important it was to the story and eventual character arc. But it was well worth for how it progressed and I loved the end more than a little.
A note about Faithful: Dakota's family is strongly religious. They attend church and her youth group plays a strong role in the story. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and knowing Rallison is a member), I detected a lot of our structure in the story, but Rallison keeps it pretty low-key. So there are no identifying or confirming aspects that would tag this as specifically LDS turning this into a really strong Christian representation that readers can probably map easily to their own faith community experience.
A note about Chaste: The romance doesn't progress far enough for sex, or even intimacy, to be a question, so this is very chaste. Frankly, given the strong Christian elements, it would have likely been strongly chaste regardless.
December 19, 2022
Man, high school can be rough! This brought back some of those memories. So happy to say that's long over for me, but I feel for those who are struggling with it and similar situations that Dakota finds herself in. I'm sure she wishes that she didn't have to deal with any of this and that people could just be kind.
Dakota and her new friend, at her new high school in a new state, decide to hatch a plan to get revenge on the boys who have not been kind at all to them or to other students. For some reason they just have it out for Dakota. Hurt and frustrated by it all, Dakota goes along with the plan.
Part of me was like, "yeah girl, teach them a lesson." But the other part of me was like, "oh girl this is not going to end well for you at all!" Repaying hurt for hurt never helped anyone or fixed the situation. Dakota has some tough decisions to make throughout this story. Not only is she navigating high school but she's also watching her mom date after her father passed away several years previously and then her mom getting married and combining families and having step-siblings and, and, and. All the stuff that happens just in normal teenage life.
Can I just say I laughed out loud so much at Dakota's antics with the guys her mom was dating. If she were my own child, I'd probably be mortified but then again, it was pretty funny.
I love her family and the way they support each other. They're great and loving and supportive.
Even with the revenge plot looming in Dakota's future, I really enjoyed seeing the lessons that she learns along her journey. I loved the outcome and was proud of this fictional character! I'll even admit that there might have been a few tears shed along the way of reading this book...just a few...
I'm excited for my own teenagers to read and enjoy this book.
Content: Clean. Talk of teasing, bullying and unkindness between teenagers but the author did a great job of teaching lessons in regards to this throughout the book.
I purchased my own copy. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
Dakota and her new friend, at her new high school in a new state, decide to hatch a plan to get revenge on the boys who have not been kind at all to them or to other students. For some reason they just have it out for Dakota. Hurt and frustrated by it all, Dakota goes along with the plan.
Part of me was like, "yeah girl, teach them a lesson." But the other part of me was like, "oh girl this is not going to end well for you at all!" Repaying hurt for hurt never helped anyone or fixed the situation. Dakota has some tough decisions to make throughout this story. Not only is she navigating high school but she's also watching her mom date after her father passed away several years previously and then her mom getting married and combining families and having step-siblings and, and, and. All the stuff that happens just in normal teenage life.
Can I just say I laughed out loud so much at Dakota's antics with the guys her mom was dating. If she were my own child, I'd probably be mortified but then again, it was pretty funny.
I love her family and the way they support each other. They're great and loving and supportive.
Even with the revenge plot looming in Dakota's future, I really enjoyed seeing the lessons that she learns along her journey. I loved the outcome and was proud of this fictional character! I'll even admit that there might have been a few tears shed along the way of reading this book...just a few...
I'm excited for my own teenagers to read and enjoy this book.
Content: Clean. Talk of teasing, bullying and unkindness between teenagers but the author did a great job of teaching lessons in regards to this throughout the book.
I purchased my own copy. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
December 7, 2022
This book takes you back to the insecurities that so many girls feel in High School. Dakota's character arc is one that has some profound lessons to teach about life, familial love, bullying and revenge.
I am happy to report that, although I was really worried about the whole revenge plan, I should have known that Jannette Rallison would make it all work out!
I would have liked a little more time with the family post-revenge, a little more, maybe an epilogue? Maybe I just want to read more Jannette Rallison books... :-)
I am happy to report that, although I was really worried about the whole revenge plan, I should have known that Jannette Rallison would make it all work out!
I would have liked a little more time with the family post-revenge, a little more, maybe an epilogue? Maybe I just want to read more Jannette Rallison books... :-)
May 27, 2023
(4.5 stars) - Very entertaining
I'm not a huge fan of YA, but Janette Rallison is definitely one of my exceptions. Her teen voices are always witty yet still true to life. I especially liked that in this story she handles bullying & body image issues realistically but also positively. The romance is maybe a little more fantasy than reality but it's enough that it could happen 😉. I wouldn't hesitate to share this with my teen!
*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
I'm not a huge fan of YA, but Janette Rallison is definitely one of my exceptions. Her teen voices are always witty yet still true to life. I especially liked that in this story she handles bullying & body image issues realistically but also positively. The romance is maybe a little more fantasy than reality but it's enough that it could happen 😉. I wouldn't hesitate to share this with my teen!
*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
December 11, 2022
I really enjoyed this book as an adult that loves YA fiction. I really think many teens (especially girls) would enjoy this book as well. There are a few slightly dated references (such as “mad cow disease”), this is one of the early books written by this author. The book is funny and unique even though it’s about a girl who is nerdy and seeks a bit of revenge on some boys that were very cruel to her (I know this plot has been done a lot but this author did it well!). The character growth in the book is really good. Great book, I definitely recommend it!
I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a discounted version of the book myself. I feel the free book did not influence my review but I wanted to be transparent and add the disclaimer.
I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a discounted version of the book myself. I feel the free book did not influence my review but I wanted to be transparent and add the disclaimer.
January 5, 2023
Not my favorite book by this author, but it's good. I just hate that the girl has to lose weight to find her own value.
August 10, 2023
this book was honestly just simply terrible. DNF.
July 28, 2025
It was interesting, but it couldn’t get a hold on me. I was expecting more romance and more of a storyline between the 2 lovers. But it was okay.
March 2, 2023
Laugh out loud, stay up until 1AM worthy read
Time has no meaning when you’re sucked into a good book.
This tale is the epitome of why I still enjoy YA romance. The snarky heroine defied every right step in an understandable, lovable, immature, but eventually cataclysmic way. But not in the way I thought.
She is merely trying to live without her dad and survive high school while working on her self-image. But the things along the way cause her to question if she’s right about revenge... and life. If maybe love can grow from 100% to 200% and beyond. You’ll understand when you get there.
This story pulled no punches. It was gritty. It was real. It showed high school drama for what it was and how step-families have hard times integrating. And yet, through the eyes of our heroine, it’s so ironically funny you grin at problems which would normally cause tears. And the romance... ahh, it was the definition of warm and fuzzies.
The lessons within can be a boon to any reader. This story is going on my TBR again pile. It’s clean, is hilarious, it’s heart-warming, the romance is dead on, and it’s got drama without being angsty.
Read it. You won’t be sorry.
Time has no meaning when you’re sucked into a good book.
This tale is the epitome of why I still enjoy YA romance. The snarky heroine defied every right step in an understandable, lovable, immature, but eventually cataclysmic way. But not in the way I thought.
She is merely trying to live without her dad and survive high school while working on her self-image. But the things along the way cause her to question if she’s right about revenge... and life. If maybe love can grow from 100% to 200% and beyond. You’ll understand when you get there.
This story pulled no punches. It was gritty. It was real. It showed high school drama for what it was and how step-families have hard times integrating. And yet, through the eyes of our heroine, it’s so ironically funny you grin at problems which would normally cause tears. And the romance... ahh, it was the definition of warm and fuzzies.
The lessons within can be a boon to any reader. This story is going on my TBR again pile. It’s clean, is hilarious, it’s heart-warming, the romance is dead on, and it’s got drama without being angsty.
Read it. You won’t be sorry.
April 1, 2023
This is a sweet, clean funny YA story with a little bit of romance. It is realistic and the characters are fun. It’s ideal for teenagers but even grownup “teenagers” can enjoy it. I recommend it.
January 3, 2023
Revenge of the Nerd Goddess is Janette Rallison’s updated YA story formerly known as Dakota’s Revenge.
Dakota’s is an overweight teen with two younger siblings. Her widowed mom decides that she has a better chance of meeting potential good husbands if they move to a different state. Dakota is unhappy with this plan and immediately has a run in with three jerks at her new high school. They moo at her in the hallway, and she bides her time and schemes revenge for them. In the meantime, she runs interference between her desperate mother and prospective dates/husbands.
Fortunately Dakota’s mom marries a good guy, Kirk, who has children of his own. The blending of the families doesn’t go smoothly for Dakota. The banter and interactions between the characters is very realistic.
The reader can see that Dakota’s revenge plan for her nemesis isn’t going to end well; it’s suspenseful to wait to see if she will go through with it. My only complaint about this story is that the ending is too abrupt. It needs an additional chapter or epilogue to stretch out the denouement.
Revenge of the Nerd Goddess is a funny YA story full of life lessons. It contains many realistic family dynamics and school situations that YA readers encounter, in addition to Dakota’s body image issues.
I received an advance review copy (ARC) from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Dakota’s is an overweight teen with two younger siblings. Her widowed mom decides that she has a better chance of meeting potential good husbands if they move to a different state. Dakota is unhappy with this plan and immediately has a run in with three jerks at her new high school. They moo at her in the hallway, and she bides her time and schemes revenge for them. In the meantime, she runs interference between her desperate mother and prospective dates/husbands.
Fortunately Dakota’s mom marries a good guy, Kirk, who has children of his own. The blending of the families doesn’t go smoothly for Dakota. The banter and interactions between the characters is very realistic.
The reader can see that Dakota’s revenge plan for her nemesis isn’t going to end well; it’s suspenseful to wait to see if she will go through with it. My only complaint about this story is that the ending is too abrupt. It needs an additional chapter or epilogue to stretch out the denouement.
Revenge of the Nerd Goddess is a funny YA story full of life lessons. It contains many realistic family dynamics and school situations that YA readers encounter, in addition to Dakota’s body image issues.
I received an advance review copy (ARC) from the author for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 9, 2025
DNF 16%
I can't make it through this. I already hate Dakota, she's so unnecessarily dismal and depressing self-esteem issues, which I get, but the Debbie Downer attitude is starting to piss me off. I was already like the eff is wrong with the mom, moving them across the country because she's bored of the shallow dating pool in their town, but to then move without finding a new house for her 3 kids and living out of a motel? Then the girls get bullied in the park and the 14 year old retaliates at church, like yas girl smack that guy! But the mom is all scandalised and tells them not to defend themselves? Nah. Then tries to give a pep talk to Debbie Downer about her weight, but basically just keeps telling her to reinvent herself and lose weight, and I had enough by the point where she suggested they do a diet together so Dakota sticks to it.. Nah, I get you're trying to be a little encouraging, but you're also adding to her issues by telling her she's not perfect and to start again and remake herself in a better image. Let's not even mention the dead dad issues that only Dakota is clinging to. The 14 year old literally said he's dead so move on.
It had a couple of lines that were funny, I like the siblings sticking together and they had some cute/funny banter, but I don't like the underlying message about body issues, and I don't like the mom or Dakota, and I'm not going to suffer through this if I want to kick the main character out of a window.
I'm out 👋🏻
I can't make it through this. I already hate Dakota, she's so unnecessarily dismal and depressing self-esteem issues, which I get, but the Debbie Downer attitude is starting to piss me off. I was already like the eff is wrong with the mom, moving them across the country because she's bored of the shallow dating pool in their town, but to then move without finding a new house for her 3 kids and living out of a motel? Then the girls get bullied in the park and the 14 year old retaliates at church, like yas girl smack that guy! But the mom is all scandalised and tells them not to defend themselves? Nah. Then tries to give a pep talk to Debbie Downer about her weight, but basically just keeps telling her to reinvent herself and lose weight, and I had enough by the point where she suggested they do a diet together so Dakota sticks to it.. Nah, I get you're trying to be a little encouraging, but you're also adding to her issues by telling her she's not perfect and to start again and remake herself in a better image. Let's not even mention the dead dad issues that only Dakota is clinging to. The 14 year old literally said he's dead so move on.
It had a couple of lines that were funny, I like the siblings sticking together and they had some cute/funny banter, but I don't like the underlying message about body issues, and I don't like the mom or Dakota, and I'm not going to suffer through this if I want to kick the main character out of a window.
I'm out 👋🏻
April 4, 2023
Between two and three stars. I felt like this book was dealing with a lot of things it was just slightly too short to deal with in the detail I needed. Like, there’s the stepfather angle, the weight loss/body image angle, the bullying/revenge plot angle, and the romance. And it tied everything up, and it was a fun read, but it just wasn’t able to delve into any of the subplots the way they deserved. Like, I would have really liked to have seen more of Dirk and his relationship with Dakota and how it grew from strangers to mutually respectful and affectionate father-daughter. That would have been so sweet. Or seen more on-screen time between Joel and Dakota, rather than having their friendship develop so much in the background.
August 1, 2023
Coming of Age Comedy
It was actually funny. Laugh out loud funny in some places. The writing was exceptional, and it was easy to get pulled into the mins of the MC. She was a little bit of a twit, but she matures. Granted, she was funny, but she was negative and arrogant. Insecurity truly is the ugliest quality in a woman. I'm glad she matured and took better care of her health and appearance. This wasn't truly a romance. The main focus was on the MCs personal growth and of her seeking revenge against her bullies. In the end she does the right thing and gets the guy! It was a good book, just not really a romance. The romance was a subplot and a HEA for the MC, but not tied into her growth or the driving action of the plot at all.
It was actually funny. Laugh out loud funny in some places. The writing was exceptional, and it was easy to get pulled into the mins of the MC. She was a little bit of a twit, but she matures. Granted, she was funny, but she was negative and arrogant. Insecurity truly is the ugliest quality in a woman. I'm glad she matured and took better care of her health and appearance. This wasn't truly a romance. The main focus was on the MCs personal growth and of her seeking revenge against her bullies. In the end she does the right thing and gets the guy! It was a good book, just not really a romance. The romance was a subplot and a HEA for the MC, but not tied into her growth or the driving action of the plot at all.
January 19, 2024
Not what I was expecting, but not bad
When I clicked on this book, I was thinking it would be mostly about the romance between the main characters. Actually, it deals a lot with the character development of Dakota, a nerdy girl, with self-esteem issues. There are some great examples of sarcasm and witty comebacks that made me laugh out loud. I really appreciated how the main character grew through the story, but I felt that the relationship at the end was rushed/forced as the stereotypical happy ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was cute, but I think it needed a little more set up and lead in.
When I clicked on this book, I was thinking it would be mostly about the romance between the main characters. Actually, it deals a lot with the character development of Dakota, a nerdy girl, with self-esteem issues. There are some great examples of sarcasm and witty comebacks that made me laugh out loud. I really appreciated how the main character grew through the story, but I felt that the relationship at the end was rushed/forced as the stereotypical happy ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was cute, but I think it needed a little more set up and lead in.
August 6, 2024
The humor! Seriously, the author does it so well that I don’t mind that I’m reading a book about teenagers!
The story follows Dakota and her teenage struggles of being overweight, her mom dating, and eventually marrying, getting step siblings, bullies, and dating. And I loved every second of it. I love how the author handled Dakota trying to lose weight in a healthy way. I loved the family dynamics!
The romance stays clean, and takes a bit of a back seat to Dakota figuring out how to navigate life.
Again the humor! The writing! It’s great. It’s a read I’m gonna set aside for my girls when they get older.
Content: clean, some kissing
The story follows Dakota and her teenage struggles of being overweight, her mom dating, and eventually marrying, getting step siblings, bullies, and dating. And I loved every second of it. I love how the author handled Dakota trying to lose weight in a healthy way. I loved the family dynamics!
The romance stays clean, and takes a bit of a back seat to Dakota figuring out how to navigate life.
Again the humor! The writing! It’s great. It’s a read I’m gonna set aside for my girls when they get older.
Content: clean, some kissing
December 1, 2022
Geared for young adults with a story of the quintessential high school experience. Dakota is clever and humorous and we get to experience her growth as she deals with a new school, new home life experiences, and some real jerks at school. The revenges were amusing, and the Happily Ever After was satisfying. Trigger warning: there are mentions of her feeling overweight, dieting, and food choices, so avoid if that is a difficulty.
I received an early copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
I received an early copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
June 24, 2024
Great YA book about a teenage girl named Dakota who gets uprooted when her mom moves her and her siblings to Arizona.
Dakota is overweight and has trouble fitting in. She's getting made fun of and decides to do some payback. Along the way, she takes control of her life and discovers whether revenge is the way she wants to go.
Rallison's best books do two things. First, they deliver a witty, fun read. Secondly, the MC grows and you feel you grow a little with her. This book delivers on both counts.
Family Corner: Nothing objectionable.
Dakota is overweight and has trouble fitting in. She's getting made fun of and decides to do some payback. Along the way, she takes control of her life and discovers whether revenge is the way she wants to go.
Rallison's best books do two things. First, they deliver a witty, fun read. Secondly, the MC grows and you feel you grow a little with her. This book delivers on both counts.
Family Corner: Nothing objectionable.
July 15, 2024
This book is all about getting revenge on bullies. I knew that going in. But I didn’t think I would dislike the FMC who is trying to get revenge for being called a cow and mooed at. She said much harsher, meaner and more horrible things about those boys than they ever did to her. So doesn’t that make her the bully? She was super judgmental and selfish which made her hard to like, and mean to her mum, who is trying her best to support her. She does realize that in the end. Sadly, there were many things I didn’t enjoy about this book, but can’t be bothered to articulate them.
December 2, 2022
This was a fun, quick read. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the sweet romance between Dakota and Joel. It was the perfect high school romance story: I loved that it was believable, with lots of cute and funny moments squeezed in. I also really appreciated how much Dakota grew and matured during the course of the book. Can I just say I really liked the dedication in the beginning of the book, too? Overall, an entertaining little book.
June 17, 2025
I’ve FINALLY finished this book after starting it last year and just never prioritizing it. I finally picked it up again this week and flew through it.
Pros:
- It was very cute
- It was well written
- I laughed a lot
- Very much the typical Janette Rallison style I know and love
Cons:
- The ending felt very abrupt to me and wasn’t as satisfying as I usually expect from her books
- I struggled to like our FMC
Pros:
- It was very cute
- It was well written
- I laughed a lot
- Very much the typical Janette Rallison style I know and love
Cons:
- The ending felt very abrupt to me and wasn’t as satisfying as I usually expect from her books
- I struggled to like our FMC
November 4, 2025
I suspect this was an earlier book that's been updated. It has the solid bones of her Pullman High trilogy, family-centric plot, a side of lessons learned, with a little less humor---though there were still some pretty good lines and plot points. I think Mark was my favorite. And Jen was pure honest wisdom.
I would have liked a tiny bit more resolution on some things. That's typical for me with a Rallison book. I also couldn't imagine a plaid prom dress. But I don't read Rallison for those points. I read her for the lessons, the laughs, and the bits of wisdom that are shared.
I would have liked a tiny bit more resolution on some things. That's typical for me with a Rallison book. I also couldn't imagine a plaid prom dress. But I don't read Rallison for those points. I read her for the lessons, the laughs, and the bits of wisdom that are shared.
March 4, 2023
Contains: kisses, references to God and church. I thought this book did a great job at pointing out the emotions a teen would go through to see a parent date again. I’m glad that Dakota was able to see the error of her ways and her transformation took a lot of effort and support. I did think the love story was lacking a bit.
March 18, 2023
Between 3.5 and 3.75 stars
Very cute, funny, and relatable, and totally worth the quick read! Not much happened in comparison to Rallison’s other books (at least the ones I’ve had the pleasure of reading thus far), but her humor never fails to make me laugh out loud, and Dakota might be her most relatable character yet (at least to me).
Very cute, funny, and relatable, and totally worth the quick read! Not much happened in comparison to Rallison’s other books (at least the ones I’ve had the pleasure of reading thus far), but her humor never fails to make me laugh out loud, and Dakota might be her most relatable character yet (at least to me).
April 5, 2023
I love books by this author. Whether they are teenage dramas, paranormal romance, or contemporary romance, they are entertaining. This book was no exception. Dakota is a bit of a mess. She lies several times. At times I was a bit frustrated with her antics, even if well intentioned. Joel was a great character. I loved how accepting he was.
August 15, 2023
I usually enjoy Janette Rallison’s books, but I did not like this one. There was way too much focus on revenge against the miscreants and plotting against the mother’s boyfriends. I found it all to be quite mean and I almost gave up a handful of times. There was definitely not enough focus on the relationship between Dakota and Joel. They barely spent any time together until the very end.
January 17, 2025
this was a pretty entertaining book. the only thing that i complain about is that i feel the main character was a little to negative that you just could not like her. she should have been relatable with the whole weight thing, but i just felt pity for her. and i would have also prefiered if the main plot was the romance (joel was so nice) instead of the family thing. idk, but it was a good book
January 23, 2025
manage you expectations.
Good book. If you’re expecting the romance to be front and center, don’t. But that’s not a bad thing. Still a good story. More a slice of life with the guy being just part of her journey. Good points about bullies, relationships, and choosing how to respond to challenges.
Good book. If you’re expecting the romance to be front and center, don’t. But that’s not a bad thing. Still a good story. More a slice of life with the guy being just part of her journey. Good points about bullies, relationships, and choosing how to respond to challenges.
December 4, 2022
This story touches on so many subjects-Death, divorce, bullying, body image issues. And despite the angsty teenage drama that ensues, it's not depressing in any way. It's rather entertaining and includes a small ,clean romance.
December 9, 2022
High School Relationships
I still cringe at all the revenge nonsense. Miscreant club? I love how it ends up though! Joel is a sweetheart! Virginia is a nightmare. I also loved how she slowly changed and became a better person all around.
I still cringe at all the revenge nonsense. Miscreant club? I love how it ends up though! Joel is a sweetheart! Virginia is a nightmare. I also loved how she slowly changed and became a better person all around.
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