Her Good Side follows Bethany and Jacob, two teens who are unlucky in love. While Bethany wants to change her image at school that has her seeming like an amateur at dating, Jacob just wants to keep a girlfriend for longer than two weeks. When the two of them are set up for a platonic date to homecoming, they both realise they could really use some practice when it comes to dating. What neither of them expects is that all the things that seemed so daunting about dating suddenly feel easy-peasy. Can fake dating turn into real love in just a few weeks?
Her Good Side was so flipping cute, there isn’t another word for it. The times I read a page and couldn’t stop grinning because I loved the characters and the plot so much.
You will adore the main characters, Bethany and Jacob. Bethany is amazing at basketball, but absolutely hates it. Thanks to the support of her friends and Jacob, she slowly acknowledges that it’s okay to go after her dreams of becoming a chef. Meanwhile, Jacob is struggling with the fact that he can’t keep a girlfriend because he isn’t really into what everyone else seems to like. I loved how we got to see him come out of his shell and realise that it wasn’t an issue with who he was and more so with what expectations people put on him. Together, Bethany and Jacob were the ultimate dream couple and I loved how much they began to trust each other even beyond their fake dating scheme. Not to mention that it was so so cute to see how smitten they were with each other. This level of devotion is what we need to see in romances!
We also get a focus on healthy relationships in Her Good Side which is so important. There are platonic relationships with your friends and bonds between siblings or romantic relationships between Bethany’s friends that really flesh out the narrative and show how important it is to have a great support system.
There are also so many important messages in this book: from learning to stand up to your parents’ expectations and following your own path to not letting the pressure of being overtly sexual at a young age get to you, this story is sure to feel like a comforting hug from your best friend to many readers out there.
The enchanting blend of important discussions of body image, parental expectations, and pressure to be like everyone else mixed with a fake dating plot that will sweep your feet off the ground, Weatherspoon’s Her Good Side is perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Leah Johnson.
Her Good Side is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A swoony, heart-melting YA romance from beloved author Rebekah Weatherspoon about two awkward teens who decide to practice dating in order to be good at the real thing.
Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Jenny Han.
Sixteen-year-old Bethany Greene, though confident and self-assured, is what they call a late-bloomer. She’s never had a boyfriend, date, or first kiss. She’s determined to change that but after her crush turns her down cold for Homecoming–declaring her too inexperienced–and all her back-up ideas fall through, she cautiously agrees to go with her best friend’s boyfriend Jacob. A platonic date is better than no date, right? Until Saylor breaks up with said boyfriend.
Dumped twice in just two months, Jacob Yeun wonders if he’s the problem. After years hiding behind his camera and a shocking summer glow up, he wasn’t quite ready for all the attention or to be someone’s boyfriend. There are no guides for his particular circumstances, or for taking your ex’s best friend to the dance.
Why not make the best of an awkward situation? Bethany and Jacob decide to fake date for practice, building their confidence in matters of the heart.
And it works–guys are finally noticing Bethany. But things get complicated as their kissing sessions–for research of course!–start to feel real. This arrangement was supposed to help them in dating other people, but what if their perfect match is right in front of them?
