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 3.5/5 
 The Fill-in Boyfriend is Kasie West's latest young adult contemporary romance. I loved her last book, On the Fence, so I was super excited to read The Fill-in Boyfriend. And I thought it was really cute. It dealt with some deeper friendship and self identity issues that were unexpected for me. I really liked the growth that Gia went through. She was a real winner in my book. That paired with the cute romance, made the Fill-in Boyfriend a hit for me. I ran into a couple of bumps with her friends, but I think they were intentionally pretty awful. 
 Gia is a popular girl in her senior year. She is going to UCLA in the fall with scholarship and a best friend as her roommate. Life seems pretty sweet, right? Well the book opens with Gia getting dumped in the parking lot before prom. So maybe not so sweet. But luckily for Gia, she meets Hayden- her fill-in boyfriend. I thought it was super cute how he wouldn't tell her his name, and it was a big build up between them. So why did Gia need a fill in boyfriend? Because in her group of friends, there is a total mean girl that is hell bent on taking Gia down it seemed. I couldn't stand Jules. Even when Gia tried to make an effort Jules was a total snob. I have no idea why the rest of Gia's friends couldn't seen through to Jule's mean girl act, but oh well. The silver lining is that it was a big component in Gia's character growth. 
 I loved getting to know Gia, and really watching her become her own person. And I loved watching her with Bec and Hayden. Hayden is a great guy, but even he made he have a sad moment towards the end of the book. I was really protective over Gia and I felt like he let her down a bit, but don't worry- he makes up for it. The Fill in Boyfriend does and does not have a happily ever after. I want to see another book to see what is going to happen with the unresolved characters. I think there is a great follow up book still laying in wait. 
 The fill-in boyfriend is a great book for fans of cute contemporary romances, but also like a surprise side of tension and friendship issues thrown in. While some aspects of the Fill-in Boyfriend were predictable (just like I wanted them to be), Kasie West did take me on a few turns that I wasn't expecting. I do kind of wish that one of those turns would have been to push Jules and Gia's brother over a cliff. (oh come on, not to die...but just to get a little scare....) Kasie West please do a follow up book! I want to see what is going to happen next year with all of the characters! 
 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs