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The Girlfriend Request

The Girlfriend Request Book Cover The Girlfriend Request
Jodie Andrefski
Entangled Publishing
January 11, 2016
Paperback
244

Emma has been best friends with Eli since she moved to his neighborhood ten years ago. Tired of being cast in the role of the girl next door, Emma creates a fake Facebook profile in the hopes of starting an online friendship with Eli, which would hopefully lead to more. Like...way more. From friend request to In a Relationship--it all seemed so completely logical when she'd planned it. Eli can't figure out what Emma is up to. He's pretty sure she's the one behind the Facebook profile, but then again, why would she do something so drastic instead of just admitting she wants to be more than friends? And who the heck is this new guy he saw her with? Eli starts to think that just maybe...he missed his chance with the girl next door. Two best friends, one outlandish ruse. Their status is about to become way more than It's Complicated...

 

Review:

I tried really hard to like “The Girlfriend Request”.  I really did.

At the heart of the book is a really cute story about falling in love with your best friend.  The problem is that the story never quite gets going because it is cluttered with things that add nothing to the book.  Many of the chapters and situations were repetitive and gave me the feeling of being stuck in a never-ending “Who’s On First” routine.  On top of that, there is a subplot introduced near the end that would have made a good novel on its own, but was instead relegated to the dreaded “let’s solve this in one page and then forget it never happened” pile.  Honestly, I believe the book would have made a great short story.  The author writes some adorable scenes.  I wish that she would have stuck to those.

The two main characters were cute and interesting.  There was enough character development to give the reader a sense of connection to one or both of them.  I didn’t much care for Emma, but I’m not entirely sure that I was supposed to.  Their continuing story would actually be interesting if explored in a novella just focusing on the fluffy aspects of the two of them in a relationship.

In short, I was looking for a fluffy palate cleanser and was only met with frustration.  “The Girlfriend Request” may appeal to the younger ya crowd, but I don’t think it will quite satisfy anyone older.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Content Warning:

Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content