Ratings3
Average rating3.7
For fans of smart romantic comedies, this is a clever Cinderella story with a tech twist. When Public Corporation, a giant tech company, announces a contest for the best app developed by a high school student—with $200,000 in prize money—computer whiz Audrey McCarthy is all in. Audrey's been searching for her one ticket out of town ever since her dad died and her best friend, perfect and popular Blake Dawkins, turned into her worst nightmare—and this scholarship may be it. Audrey comes up with an idea so simple, yet so brilliant, she can't believe it hasn't been done before: the Boyfriend App. With a simple touch of the screen, romance blooms among the unlikeliest couples at school—and people start to take notice. But it's not quite enough. To beat out the competition, Audrey will have to dig deeper—right into a scandal that would rock Public to its core. Launched into unexpected fame and passionately kissed by the hottest guys in school, Audrey finds that her invention has thrown her life into complete chaos . . . but can it bring her true love?
Featured Series
1 primary bookApp is a 1-book series first released in 2013 with contributions by Katie Sise.
Reviews with the most likes.
(Review originally posted here at The Book Barbies.)
I was pleasantly surprised by The Boyfriend App! I went in expecting a fun pool-side read. And it was definitely that! Even if it wound up causing me to spend way too much time indoors for a short period of time after said pool adventure. But it was actually so much more than fluff!
The Boyfriend App totally drew me into the story! I felt like I was living right alongside Audrey. And honestly, I don't even have any reasons to explain how or why. I guess I just related to Audrey that much, especially in the first half. I never wanted to put it down. It was so refreshing to have a smart and nerdy main character who was unashamed of who she was, who was so attached to her computer (which she built herself) that she named it Hector. I want more of those! I loved reading about all her fellow “trogs” (her group of fellow, talented computer-loving friends), especially Aidan.
You guys, Aidan gave me ALL THE SWOONS. He was just so. freaking. adorable. I can't even stand it. He was so normal and geeky and sweet, and I was rooting for Audrey and him so hard. There were a couple moments in their interactions where I was just like YES. Because Katie Sise captured all the awkward passion that comes along with a huge teenage crush, and the freaking out that commences when you think your feelings are actually returned. Because friends, being a teenager with a crush is dramatic, okay! I could totally relate to Audrey in those moments.
Another thing I really enjoyed about The Boyfriend App was Audrey's cousin, Lindsay. I liked her vibrancy as a character. She was also a very successful fashion blogger, and it was so great to read about followers and Twitter, dealt with in a realistic manner! She mentioned things we bloggers deal with every day (though obviously to a much larger scale than most of us are used to). I loved that element! I think that was another thing that helped me connect to the book more.
I did have some problems with Audrey's behavior later in the book. She did some things I did not quite understand, and her reasons were never really fully explained. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just leave it at that. Regardless, she did redeem herself to an extent, so that was good. There were also some crazypants happenings and a few dramatics. But in the end, the positives far outweighed the negatives.
Basically, even though there were a couple small issues, I loved this book. Trogs for the win!