Review: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen

Title: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame

Author: Jenn P. Nguyen
Publisher: Macmillan/Swoon Reads
Published: June 7, 2016
Pages: 306
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Ebook

Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.

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MY REVIEW

Warning: This review MAY contain SPOILERS.


This book is fucking glorious! Absolute perfection. It delighted me to no end. I had a feeling that this book would amuse me and keep my interest, but I had no idea how much it would grab hold of me and not let go. 

The plot for this story is sort of an "opposites attract" sort of tale. The main character, Taylor, finds herself in a precarious situation that threatens to ruin her reputation. Waking up in the bed of her high school's number one hunky playboy after a night drinking at a party was not something she had expected. Taylor talks said playboy, Evan, into pretending that they were dating all along to salvage her reputation. The plot plays out beautifully and it's highly amusing, heartwarming, and highly entertaining.

The world-building in this book comes from the situations that the characters are in and from their backgrounds. This book takes place in a typical high school setting, but each character's personality defines the world-building and how real it is to the reader. The author does a great job of placing the reader in their shoes, in their worlds. 

The characters are so wonderful in this book. They really make the story stand out and evoke a very real feeling for the story. The two main characters, Taylor and Evan, are complete opposites but they bring out the best in each other. Taylor is an overachiever that knows what college she is going to after high school and which career path is her end game. Evan is a playboy heartthrob with no real aspirations beyond high school. Nguyen foes an amazing job of delving into these characters lives. We explore their pasts and insecurities and get to know them extremely well. They both open up to each other in ways that they have never opened up to anyone else before. Their uncomfortable and begrudging attitude towards each other in the beginning softens to a comfortable friendship and evolves into more as the story progresses. The romance is so believable because of the awesome character growth. The side characters are a delight as well. I also loved the heavy presence of family in this book, both the good and the bad parts of family. The characters in this book are so relatable and I loved every moment of their growth.

I would have liked an epilogue or just seeing a little bit more of Evan and Taylor as a real couple instead of the fake couple. We did get to see what happened during the party scene that led up to Taylor waking up in Evan's bed, which I liked. 

This book really impressed me. It is entertaining from start to finish and it's so much fun. It has the perfect amount of teenage drama, adorable romance, and feels. I recommend this to all that love young adult romance. It's a winner!

THIS BOOK CONTRIBUTED TO THESE 2018 READING CHALLENGES

- Beat the Backlist Challenge
- Tackle My TBR Challenge
- Contemporary Romance Challenge

Check out my 2019 Challenge Page to see my progress!

I adore stories that have "enemies to lovers" or "opposites attract" romances. This story was so entertaining and I loved every moment. What are some of your favorite books with these tropes? If these tropes aren't your cup of tea, then recommend something for me to check out!