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Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Review: Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

Super Fake Love Song 
by David Yoon

Thank you Penguin Teen for this copy! Happy publishing day!


Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: November 17, 2020
Hardcover
308 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Comedy

When Sunny Dae—self-proclaimed total nerd—meets Cirrus Soh, he can’t believe how cool and confident she is. So when Cirrus mistakes Sunny’s older brother Gray’s bedroom—with its electric guitars and rock posters—for Sunny’s own, he sort of, kind of, accidentally winds up telling her he’s the front man of a rock band.

Before he knows it, Sunny is knee-deep in the lie: He ropes his best friends into his scheme, begging them to form a fake band with him, and starts wearing Gray’s rock-and-roll castoffs. But no way can he trick this amazing girl into thinking he’s cool, right? Just when Sunny is about to come clean, Cirrus asks to see them play sometime. Gulp.

Now there’s only one thing to do: Fake it till you make it.

Sunny goes all in on the lie, and pretty soon, the strangest things start happening. People are noticing him in the hallways, and he’s going to football games and parties for the first time. He’s feeling more confident in every aspect of his life, and especially with Cirrus, who’s started to become not just his dream girl but also the real deal. Sunny is falling in love. He’s having fun. He’s even becoming a rocker, for real.

But it’s only a matter of time before Sunny’s house of cards starts tumbling down. As his lies begin to catch up with him, Sunny Dae is forced to wonder whether it was all worth it—and if it’s possible to ever truly change.

My Review:


What silly thing have you done for love or just to get someone's attention?  I think we've all been there at one point in our life.  Did that something get a bit out of control?  Sunny's sure did - and what a fun trip to take with him.  What starts off fun and brings him surprising joy is just an escalation that is doomed to come crumbling down.

What a cutesy YA rom-com.  We all know how these stories go and this holds true here as well.  What makes this so much fun though are these absolutely adorable characters!  If you've ever been that nerdy, not popular, kid in school then you'll be able to relate greatly with Sunny and his crew.  I love this very diverse cast, the relationship between Sunny and Grey Dae (yes, those names!!!), him and his parents, his framily and the kids at school that don't exactly make his life easy. You'll love the lessons that are learned and while Sunny's disposition isn't always as bright as his name would make you believe, you'll find yourself all smiles at the inevitable antics that come about.  I could totally see this also going to film (ahem).

There's less Korean culture references in this than there was in Yoon's other YA novel, but I liked that as while it was touched on enough for me to nod in understanding without it being all in your face, it was unnecessary to fill that cultural vessel as much because of the now representation of a more "Americanized" Korean family.  

All in all, you get exactly what you expect out of this novel... with a diverse cast (YAY).  For those who tend to shy away from YA novels, this one does start off YA strong but stick with it as that fades as you read on...  prepare your bellies for deep nerdy, snorty laughter with a pull of the heart strings that will definitely leave you smiling at the end.

★★★★


 


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