One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin Review!

 

Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a lady while the guys move on without her.

Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date. Word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service.

But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends--the same guy who happens to be the most sought-after date. With everything she's built on the line, Toni has to decide if she wants to save the business and her old life, or let go of being one of the guys for a chance at love.

    One of the Guys had a hilarious start, which is always a way to capture my attention. You can never go wrong with a funny introduction to a book. The plot was extremely interesting and it was bound to cause problems for the characters. That's why I loved it. Every moment of this book had me intrigued. There wasn't a moment that I was bored or wondering when the fun would begin because this whole book is fun and romantic and different. I felt all sorts of emotions from while reading this book like happiness and sadness, to anger, hurt, and so much more. I instantly because attached to Toni so everything that happened to her felt like it was happening to me. This story made me feel like I was in Toni's place experiencing mixed feelings about a friend who is a boy and it felt so real.

    Speaking of Toni, I loved the fact that she never changed in this book. Sure, she started painting her nails and wearing her hair different, but she stayed true to herself. I've read too many YA romance novels about girls having to change themselves "to get the guy" and I was so extremely happy that this book wasn't like that. Toni stayed her usual crazy, determined, thoughtful, hardheaded, caring, and belch prone self. The only thing that changed was the way she saw herself and that's what is important. I think this is the kind of book that young girls need to read because this book doesn't advocate changing your appearance for a guy. It does just the opposite; it promotes accepting yourself. I also loved how unpredictable Toni was. Every so often she would do something that took me by surprise and it made the story that much more interesting. I was always wondering what crazy things she would do next.

    The other characters in this book were always doing things I never expected also, and I loved how complex they were. I loved Loch and Cowboy. They were so easy going and Cowboy was super shy which was so endearing to me. Ollie, on the other hand, I did not like for reasons that I cannot say because of spoilers. However, I can tell you that I got over it in the end. However, I was not happy with him through most of the book. Another character that I did not like was Brian, Toni's step-father. I did not like him at first mention because Toni did not like him, but then he grew on me. I understood him better in the end. It was great reading this book and seeing how all of these characters changed. Anyway, back to the part of this book that I loved the most, Loch and Toni.

    Every scene with Loch and Toni made my heart race a little because I wanted them to realize how perfect they were for each other. They just fit so well together that you just wanted to shake them and make them realize they love each other. I have to say, I was always surprised at Toni’s actions when it came to Loch. THAT SCENE WHERE TONI AND LOCH WERE IN THE MOUNTAINS AHHHH! I melted. Just know that you will squeal if you read that part. I know I did! The ending had me melting too. Basically, this book is one that will keep your mind off of things and it is sure to take you on a crazy ride. Needless to say, the plot definitely falls into my quirky taste in books, which I made a blog post about, you can read it here, My Quirky Taste in Books . It did not disappoint me! Everything about it was so sweet and cute. I only wish that we got to see more of what happened between Toni and Loch in the end, but the ending still satisfied me. I give it four out of five stars.