[Blog Tour] Review: Not Okay Cupid by Heidi R. Kling + Giveaway

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Not Okay Cupid
by Heidi R. Kling
Publication date: January 11th 2016
Published by: Entangled: Crush
Purchase links: Amazon | B&N | Entangled Pub

Synopsis:

Her wicked revenge, or his wicked heart...

Hazel McCallister loves her life. Perfect grades. Perfect best friend. Perfect boyfriend. Until her perfect boyfriend cheats on her with her perfect best friend. Now Hazel’s in free fall—until her best friend’s brother, Felix, gives her the perfect idea. Reclaim her power by taking revenge on her cheating ex.

Felix James loves his life. Casual relationships. Loads of surfing. He’s as drama-free as they come. But he can’t stand by when his sister steals her best friend’s boyfriend, and the dude insists it was Hazel’s fault. So Felix vows to help turn Hazel into a girl her ex can’t resist—so then she can break his heart.


With an alliance in place, Hazel’s revenge is all but assured. But with each piece of payback, she feels a stronger attraction to Felix, even though revenge will turn her into a girl Felix could never be with. And soon Hazel has to make an impossible choice: revenge...or Felix, the boy who’s stolen her heart.


WARNING! This book contains betrayal, revenge, and that most tempting vice of all, the bad boy you know you can't have.

I can’t stress enough just how cute Not Okay Cupid is. The book is short and the plot is very light. It delves into the topics of friendship, familial relationships, and romance which is what main focus of the book is. This isn’t the first time that I’ve read a book of its kind. With its summary, I think we already know where the story is headed to, but Not Okay Cupid has its own brand of uniqueness that makes it a compelling read.

Not Okay Cupid has a pair of main characters that add complex to the plot which, admittedly, is what the plot department lacks. I wouldn’t say that Hazel is an easy character to like though. She’s prejudiced and she’s the kind of girl that plans everything out including her future with her then boyfriend, Jay, who she found out was cheating on her with her bestfriend, Kimmy, who happened to be Felix’ sister.

Felix, unlike Hazel, is a very likeable character. I wasn’t that into him initially because of the way Hazel described him as like the typical high school pretty boy who gets a lot of girls but never taking any of them seriously. While it has some truth, there is more to Felix than just that. Felix is a very caring son and brother. He is selfless – always putting his family first before him unlike his sister, Kimmy, who cares more about shopping than helping the family meet the ends.

Felix is also pretty mischievous. In fact, he was the one who came up with the idea of fake dating to get revenge on Kimmy and Jay. I know it doesn’t sound like a smart idea what with all the books we’ve all read with the same theme, but still, I like that no matter how much Felix loved his bitch of a sister, he didn’t just stand there and watch the drama unfold instead he acknowledged that what his sister did was wrong most especially since it was her bestfriend whose boyfriend she stole. He set up a plan to punish both Kimmy and Jay by pretending to be dating Hazel just to throw them off and to get Jay jealous as well. Felix is definitely not a rocket scientist but he is compassionate and sympathetic. I also thought it was pretty cute that he was a needy fake boyfriend. He was aware of it and he tries not to be like it because he knew it was wrong to act like it so he wants to give her space. He’s also plenty excited about practically everything and I found that to be extremely cute!

Also, I love the mothers in this book! Hazel’s and Felix’s mothers are a sarcastic bunch and I love the dynamics they have with their children. As well, I like that these characters are three-dimensional. Hazel started out as a judgmental girl who only cared about the things that she has planned out, but as the story progressed and she got to spend more time with Felix, she slowly opened up to him, and to the things he did and to the people he was acquainted with that ultimately led to her growth as a character.

Not Okay Cupid is the perfect book for those looking for a fast and easy read that’s light, romantic and compelling.

Rating: 4/5 stars!

Giveaway

a #Heartbreak tank top that looks like this and was inspired by Not Okay, Cupid (as the series name for this book is High School Heartbreakers):  Link here

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

After earning her BA in Literature & Creative Writing Literature from UC Santa Cruz and finding her voice in YA, Heidi went on to earn her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. She has directed and written children’s theatre on both coasts and lives with her husband and two children in Palo Alto, CA.

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