Book Blurb:
April is kind, pretty and relatively normal—yet she can’t seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she’s found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry. Until she realizes that what men are really looking for is Gretel.
Gretel is perfect—beautiful but low maintenance, sweet but never clingy, sexy but not a slut. She’s your regular, everyday Manic-Pixie-Dream-Girl-Next-Door with no problems.
When April starts pretending to be Gretel, dating becomes much more fun—especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua. Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?
My Review: 3.5 stars
Pretending was a welcome surprise to arrive through book mail as I’ve always wanted to read a Holly Bourne book and until now, never had. The cover, with the shocking pink background and with many adjectives crossed out, led me to assume (I know, never assume anything) that this was going to be rom-com. It had the rom part (romance) but lacked the comedy. I suppose I was mentally ready for a rom-com after reading some heavy fiction and was disappointed that it wasn’t as expected.
April is a character that many women can relate to; she has a lot to offer but lacks what she most desires, a boyfriend. She also survived a rape, which has taken years to emotionally and physically (yes, physically) work through. She’s multifaceted and stronger thank she knows. It was a joy to watch her develop as the book progressed. By “pretending” to be someone other than herself, she has internally role-switched, and finds herself able to meet a man. Thus, the title of the book.
Even though this book was not what I anticipated reading, I’m glad I did! Pretending will make you think about choice, action, agency, relationships and loving yourself before you love another. It’s heavier than the title suggests, but will leave you with a lot to ponder on.
Quotes I liked:
Guilt is the luxury of the powerful.”
“And sometimes in life, when there are too many emotions, and they are too strong and too conflicting to make any sense, the only feeling you can feel is nothingness.”
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