Rating: 3.5/5

It is always a pleasure to be surprised by a book and getting bitch-slapped for judging it beforehand. Because this was NOT the cute little book I thought it would be.

Sure enough, it had cute moments, but the characters weren't that superficial one-dimensional teenagers you expect to encounter in this kind of books.

Favorite quote:

I was a boyfriend thief, I reminded myself. A boyfriend thief couldn’t get personally attached to her work. It was a business agreement and nothing more. I wasn’t that girl who fell for a guy that was absolutely, completely wrong for her and who had come along at exactly the absolute wrong time. I couldn’t afford distractions at this point in my life. And Zac Greeley had distraction written all over him.

Avery James is what I'd call: a control-freak with a serious case of OCD. She tries so hard to fill the void that her depressive mother left when she took off, all of the sudden and without any explanation, four years ago, leaving her Dad and little brother for her to take care of. That screwed her up in more way than one and now she doesn't believe anymore in love and attachement and finding that special someone to fulfill happiness. Only science is relevant and predictable and makes sense.

Zac Greeley is not your tall, dark and brooding hero; he has an upbeat personnality and an overworking mind that could let you think he's just an unfocused kid who acts all the time like everything is a joke. The class clown who won't go far in life. When in fact he's hyperactive, and if given the opportunity could come up with the most ingenious ideas.

That's what I liked most about this book. Not the romance, but the harsh issues that kids these days suffer from, the tremendous pression they have to deal with on daily-basis and that could probably damage the most balanced of us and how Avery learned to loosen up a little, started living fully her life and stopped blaming herself for her mother's departure. ( )

The Boyfriend Thief actually came off as a surprise because I wasn't expecting to really like it. I thought this would be a light, romantic, teenybopper book, but actually, it has deeper issues that make The Boyfriend Thief a really good read.

I could relate very well to the main character, Avery. She's this uptight, control-freak and perfectionist teenager who seems to always expect the worst in people. She built walls around herself to avoid caring for and being hurt by other people again. Who could blame her, though? Her mother left them four years ago and since then she has taken it to herself to take her of her dad and her little brother and make sure everything's in order. I love her being organized and goal-driven. She knows what she wants and she strives to achieve them. Sure, she may be stuck-up and unsociable, but I don't think that's always a bad thing. What I don't like about her is that Avery only sees what she wants to see. It's all black and white for her. She doesn't' let herself consider the gray areas.

Zac, on the other hand, blew me away. I adore his character. He's energetic and full of crazy but wonderful ideas. He's goofy and funny and carefree, but underneath all that, he's as messed up as anyone else. He's hiding what he really wants to be just so he won't disappoint his father. BUT, despite that, he still manages to make others happy. I think Avery and Zac suit each other because even though they're different, they balance each other out.

I like the fact that there wasn't insta-love in this book. It's not even 100% romance. The Boyfriend Thief delves into deeper and realistic struggles of a teenager way beyond her years. It tackles about family, friendship, forgiveness, acceptance and moving on.

It's well written, too. I'm quite picky with contemporaries because I'm always worried that they'll sound awkward and not at all realistic. I'm glad this book is put together nicely. It wasn't rushed. Zac's and Avery's relationship developed slowly. Like I said, no insta-love. And in the process, they learned a lot more about themselves.

All's well that ends well. I like that Avery was finally able to reach out to the people around her and settle things with them. It's also good that Zac brought her out of her shell and made her realize that not everything is about her. The Boyfriend Thief, on top of being enjoyable, teaches good lessons that I think everyone should know.

A really good read. Two thumbs up!


"I don't qualify as being in love with being happy. My happiness is not dependent on someone else's affections."

"Because you just don't walk away from someone when things get tough. You find a way to stick it out and figure out what's gone wrong."

"Everyone is messed up in their own way. The funny part is we all don't want anyone else to know, so we work so hard to hide it." ( )

Sometimes, I get in a bit of what I Iike to call, a ‘book funk’, where books that would normally interest me don’t. It doesn’t last long but while it does, I’m usually looking for a light read, paticularly a contemporary romance. Shana Norris’ The Boyfriend Thief is exactly the type of book I was looking for. It’s a super cute and light read that left me with a smile on my face.

Underneath her strong exterior, Avery James is a girl struggling with the abandonment of her mother a few years back. Avery thrives on organization and keeping what’s left of her family together. Everything is perfect, everything is planned. Her goal is to save up enough money to work on a humanitarian program in Costa Rica. She’d love to go this summer, but working at the Diggity Dog only pays so much. Cue Avery’s ex-BFF Hannah. Hannah offers Avery the $500 she needs for Costa Rica, there’s only one little catch. Avery must steal Hannah’s boyfriend first.

Zac, the boyfriend in question, is funny and endearing. No one takes him seriously. Until Avery comes along. They show each other their worlds and ways of doing things. While Zac breaks Avery out of her shell and makes her live a little, she makes him focus and encourages the life he really wants. It’s only right that they find themselves falling in love. Norris has created beautifully flawed, realistic characters that lots of people will find easy to relate to.

After sometime with Zac, Avery comes to terms with her mother’s leaving and learns not everything can be perfect. Hearts are broken and plans unravel. But in the end everything comes together. The Boyfriend Thief is simply adorable but heartbreaking. It’s a fairly quick read, but it’ll leave you wanting more. I’m definitely hoping to see more of the same from Ms. Norris. ( )

Hovering somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. It was SUPER cute, but Avery, the main character, occasionally was a little too uptight/bossy/mistrustful. Still very cute, though, and a great, sweet, easy, quick read. ( )