Review: The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding

The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions)

by Amy Spalding
April 5, 2016

320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

A ridiculously cute, formerly-famous new guy dropping into your life? It's practically every girl's dream.

But not Jules McCallister-Morgan's.

I realize that on paper I look like your standard type-A, neurotic, overachiever. And maybe I am. But I didn't get to be the editor of my school's long-revered newspaper by just showing up*. I have one main goal for my senior year-early acceptance into my first choice Ivy League college-and I will not be deterred by best friends, moms who think I could stand to "live a little," or boys.

At least, that was the plan before I knew about Alex Powell**.

And before Alex Powell betrayed me***.

I know what you're thinking: Calm down, Jules. But you don't understand. This stuff matters. This is my life. And I'm not going down without a fight.

----

* Okay, I sort of did. But it's a sore subject.

** I mean, I guess everyone knows about Alex Powell? Two years ago, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about viral video boy band sensation Chaos 4 All. Two years ago, Alex Powell was famous.

***Some people think I'm overreacting. But this. Means. War.

Filled with romance, rivalry, and passive-aggressive dog walking, Amy Spalding delivers a hilariously relatable high school story that's sure to have you falling for The New Guy.

 

Review

A mostly secret romance and some healthy rivalry, The New Guy and Other Senior Year Distractions (that's quite a mouthful) gave me exactly what I wanted. Fun and easy, this book was a quick read.
 

Ms. Spalding does a great job pacing the story. From introducing the new guy to revealing his so-called betrayal to resolving the misunderstandings, I never felt bored. There was always enough of a pull for me to keep turning the pages. Every part balanced nicely.

 

Jules, our main girl, has wanted the editor position ever since she joined the school newspaper team. Only when this comes true, she finds herself pitted against the newly-formed school TV news program. She saw them as a great threat against the very existence of her beloved school newspaper. It was entertaining to watch the two sides duel things out. I had a good laugh at some of the silly things they did. I also waited with bated breath for things to blow up because it was inevitable- sooner or later and yep the fallout wasn't pretty.

 

Jules is an overachiever which can be seen as negative but she was kind and sincere. Throughout the story, it was obvious she always had people's best interest at heart. Even when she got a little lost, her intentions were clearly good. She was just misguided due to her feeling pressured and wanting to live up to expectations (both were self-induced). Her honesty was everything. Jules was responsible and didn't shy away from accepting/admitting her mistakes and working towards fixing them.

 

There was a cute romance with Alex, the new boy. It was insta-lovey but felt natural since they're both young. There were encouraging friendships. Sadie and the rest of Jules's friends never failed to comfort her. Even when situations got tough she had friends by her side. There was great rapport between student-teacher despite some lapse in judgment on the student's part. I think Mr. Wheeler tried very hard. Then of course there was the lovely familial affection Jules shared with her two moms. They were always 100% supportive and vice versa.

 

If you're looking for a quick and cute read then The New Guy and Other Senior Year Distractions is the one for you. It won't take you long to read it but you will get all the happy feels :)

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.