A heart-meltingly cute high school rom-com perfect for fans of Jenny Han and anyone who loves a sweet fake relationship, boy-falls-first romance. Hayley and Ethan’s story will make you laugh, cry and swoon all at once.
Can a fake relationship land her the prom date of her dreams?
Hayley Lawson has no chance of getting a date to prom. Thanks to a rumor gone wrong, the boys at school are all convinced she's only interested in dating college guys. She certainly isn't holding her breath waiting for someone to ask her to the big dance.
But, when her long-time crush returns to town, Hayley's hopes of landing her dream date suddenly reignite. Owen Beck is everything she's ever wanted in a guy, but after years of waiting, she can't rely on fate alone to bring them together. If she wants to go to prom with him, she's going to have to put her heart on the line and ask him herself. However, her promposal doesn't exactly go to plan, and when Owen's twin swoops in to 'save' her, she ends up in the arms of the wrong brother.
She might still have a chance with Owen though. Ethan knows his brother better than anyone, and he seems to think a bit of good old fashioned jealousy might just get Owen to ask Hayley to the prom himself.
A few weeks faking a relationship shouldn't be too hard. After all, Ethan is nothing compared to Owen. Right? This book is a full length, standalone romance. The Wrong Prom Date is perfect for readers looking for: Fans of these books and authors will love The Wrong Prom Date:
Alexandra Moody is an Australian author who writes romance novels for young adults. She lives in Adelaide with her husband, three children and naughty dog. When she’s not busy writing, you’ll find her reading or spending time with her family. She loves to travel, is addicted to caffeine and has a love/hate relationship with the gym.
A NERD AND A BAND LEADER WITH GLASSES AND A BIG HEART? SIGN ME UP FOR IT, I WANT NOW ONE OF THOSE. ( IF YOU KNOW ONE PLEASE GIVE HIM MY NUMBER)--->JUST KIDDING, OR MAYBE NOT ;) Ethan has became one of my all time favorite nerd books' character. His way of caring and showing with all that small but sometimes really big gestures how he always wanted Hayley made my heart almost melt. I'M A GONER FOR ETHAN. I really didn't understand how couldn't Hayley notice that he had only eyes for her... You should definitely read this one . AND TO CONVINCE YOU I'LL GIVE YOU 4 BIG REASONS: 1. A HOT NERD 2. A BAND LEADER 3. BIG GESTURES 4. T-A-Y-L-O-R S-W-I-F-T I GAVE IT 4.95 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️ This book was simply delightful! Here is a list to why it was.
Cliches broke
1. Main girl a cheerleader and not an unseen book nerd
2. SHE DOESN’T GET WITH THE BAD BOY!!! Not going to lie this fact is like 58% of why I enjoyed this book
3. The bad boy is a legit bad boy that doesn’t have a heart of gold and is conceited and self-centered! Finally a character that is true to how these guys are, why would they ever change if what they do works??
4. Nerdy boy finally getting the girl!! 💃🏽💃🏽 Thrilled about that one! The sweet guy wins in the end! Woohoo!
5. He didn’t tell her about the poem! (Which I totally called)
Cliches that weren’t broken but are forgiven
1. Mean girl, didn’t plan a huge part of the book so I wasn’t super bothered by her.
2. Teenage party where something goes wrong. At least at the end Ethan tells Hayley the truth and so that misunderstanding isn’t a cause for contention.
3. A lot of miscommunication. At least I felt like with how uncertain the characters felt about themselves and whether they were worth loving this made sense. They didn’t see themselves as the other saw them so it was easy to think they couldn’t be loved. So it worked for me.
4. Prom. At least the dullness of prom king and queen wasn’t overly glamorized and it was cut short.
All in all I loved this book for being sweet, simple, fun and a light hearted read! The author is an indie author so I can’t recommend buying a copy more! Help support a writer! Also I don’t think you’ll regret it!
if better than the movies was written on wattpad in 2012 and than netflix decided to make it a movie this book could happen🪦 so if you're wondering why did i finish since i hate it so much...i'm 22 and i miss highschool drama soooo.....
Instagram recommended this book and that is the last time I trust some 10 year old kid making Instagram reels. Horrible, truly horrible, a thing that’s so bad wattpad wouldn’t allow it entry. The writing reminded me of 11 year old me’s writing. This book was supposed to be an easy start to my romance book era but it was genuinely very discouraging.
FIRST OF ALL ETHAN BECK !!!!! 🫡 This guy is a literal definition of a perfect boyfriend. The fact that he sang TAYLOR SWIFT’s SONGS to her made me totally loose it. 💃🏼💃🏼Throughout the book i was just itching for them to finally get together and it could not have ending in a better way than it did. This book is proof that its not always the hot,muscular, breathtaking,popular but it can be the nerdy, sweet, kind and caring one as well. Okay but spoiler “HE DOES HAVE A SIX PACK” 💀 Hayley finally realising how much of a douche OWEN was,was truly therapeutic. And gosh she and Ethan deserved to be together and it was FATE. 😤💖💖
this was SOOOO cute. i usually hate rom com (especially high school) but omg i was giggling and kicking my feet. my only concern is HAYLEY STILL DOESNT KNOW ETHAN WROTE THAT POEM (i called it btw i just knew owen didn’t write it)
I absolutely loved the book. It was just super sweet and the characters (especially Ethan) are just adorable. I also really liked that it was dual Pov and had Taylor Swift References ❤️
I liked this book, I had to skim some parts but I liked it overall. I still think that the first was the best, not that I didn't enjoy this. I was happy to see Madi and Cole. The 3 stars might be because I just switched from reading adult fiction to young adult fiction and it was a little jarring switching POVs. I just kept thinking, really? this is what Hayley is thinking about. I felt like an actual adult because she was so ... juvenile? Lol. She was so worried about her prom date instead of paying attention to math and I was like, girl! Your studies are more important! So after my mind adjusted to the age difference and being in the frame of mind of a teenager, I thought it got better. I still don't understand why authors are writing books where characters are in love with people that they've never really had a conversation with. I thought Ethan more endearing and a more likable character than Hayley. Anyway, it was a fun, fast read.
Alright, so I feel like middle ground has finally been reached. The first book was a five star read. The second book was a three star read. This book is a four star read.
Now, keep in mind this is a TEEN novel. I really loved both the main characters Hayley and Ethan. Hayley was definitely feisty and original. She reminded me of how I was in high school. Ethan was really sweet and I enjoyed seeing the outside perspective looking in. This was a really good book all in all that was both clean and had a sweet ending.
However, I feel like it didn’t match the creativity and originality of the first book. I felt like you really needed more plot or more storyline for that to occur. However, it was a great book I would give this a 4.6
As entertainment, it was pretty good. As a piece of literature, it was a dumpster fire.
This is not a “not like other girls” kind of book. This is a “I’m exactly like other girls, aka you, and I’m going to prove it by repeatedly doing things I believe teenage girls do, or try to do, or dream of doing, like stopping in the middle of the road to sing Taylor Swift lyrics because that will surely make you identify yourself with me” kind of book.
It has the cheerleader who cheers “because she likes it” (is this a disney movie??), and the nerd who’s -surprise- not, in fact, a nerd. He might wear glasses, but he’s secretly jacked under his baggy clothes (can’t have a non-jacked mmc in a ya romance, I guess), sings at college parties and is actually the coolest guy ever. Oh, and his brother’s a dick. Not a pretty hard choice, right?
That was actually one of the reasons why this book sort of fell flat for me. I might have loved Ethan (not for his dorkiness, cause there wasn’t actually any), but even he couldn’t save this book from the fact that the author couldn’t make the "other option" a decent guy. I mean, in Better than The Movies at least Owen is actually a sweet guy, but she’s happier with Wes, you know? In this book, however, the first option is literally expelled for selling drugs (which was absolutely unnecessary), checks every girl out and is a general asshole most of the time. It was plain obvious Hayley wasn’t gonna end up with him, so it wasn’t too interesting.
Also, there were some other things that bothered me, like the whole thing with her sister. Maybe it’s just me, but the fact that she solved nothing with her was a letdown, and I expected her to have like a heart to heart about her friends and stuff, even if it went in a sort of 10 Things I Hate About You way, but apparently Hayley doesn’t care that she thinks every one of her sister’s friends are “bitchy” and that they are rubbing off on her. Because why would you warn your sister of such a thing?
All in all, it was a quite forgettable and mediocre book, but that didn’t stop me from giggling in the middle of the night. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser or simply a fast and cute book, you will probably like this. If you’re looking for deep relationships and character development, steer clear of this book. Trust me.
PD: why hate maths????? Like every girl who reads rom-coms hates them?? And also, the cover couldn’t put me off more. The photo cover, not the drawn one. And why have two of them?
i loved this series!!! admittedly i didnt like this one as much as the first two but it was still good
the author took a little too much inspo from tsitp though with the "beck boys" and one loving guitar(conrad/ethan) the other loving football(jere/owen) and the long time crush
this series gave me a love/hate relationship with dual pov it was great knowing everything that was happening but it made me want to scream at the characters mostly
i also loved that you can see whats happening with the previous main characters (madi,cole,teagan,etc.)
4 stars for this whole series great read if you want a clean predictable cute ya romance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2.75 the most predictable book ever bas im a sucker for cheesy romcoms seeing Hayley fall in love with Ethan was A M A Z I N G. Ethan Beck Asal Owen w el bet el safra ely mesh fakra esmha dy typical highschool bullies. Thank you
Cute YA story overall, but lots of miscommunication
It's been a bit since I've read a YA. This one is pretty cute overall. This fits the fake dating troupe which I don't always love. I feel like if the characters would just communicate there wouldn't be so many head games. That's what normally drives me a little nuts with the fake dating troupe. And this story sits right there - the characters have a lot of miscommunication and hurt feelings which carries the story a little too long for me.
There are also quite a few edit errors as of January 2025.
I did like the characters, especially nerdy singer, Ethan. I felt like Owen needed a little more depth...there's never any explanation as to why he's so awful. Owen seemed very flat and served only to be the awful antagonist.
Content: Clean romance. Triggers are minimal...there's some teen drinking, bullying, and negative sibling relationships. Language: Less than a handful of swears. No f-bombs Religious: No
This is a young adult book. It could even be suitable for preteens. It was a very easy read and the storyline could be followed while half asleep. It is definitely a romance. The plot is very obvious and you can tell what will happen within the first chapter of the book. It is one of those books you read because it is cute and light and easy.
Absolutely no spice. They talk about kissing a few times, although even that is not described in detail.
SPOILER ALERT ⚠️ Hayley is a cheerleader who is popular and gorgeous, but she is not mean like the other cheerleaders. She has a major crush on a boy who lived next door until he got a scholarship to some elite football school. Buuut on a day when life is not going her way, she sees Owen (the boy of her dreams, or so she thinks) is home from his fancy school. She is shocked to see him, but hopes that now she can catch his attention and have him fall in love with her so that they can go to prom. Surprise, surprise, Owen is a JERK! However, Owen has a twin brother, Ethan. Now Ethan is not a jock like his twin. He is a 'dork' (no mention of his academic abilities but he wears reading glasses and that in itself is irrefutable proof of his dork status) and so naturally Hayley has never noticed Ethan, over all the years she has lived next door to him, and been in love with his twin brother, and been in the same classes as him, and had her bedroom window staring right into his. So Hayley decides to ask Owen to prom, but the jerky jock begins rejecting her promprosal, so his twin brother (feeling mortified for the girl he actually loves) butts in says that Hayley was speaking to him and not to Owen. Hayley and Ethan then formulate a plan to engage in a fake relationship to make Owen jealous enough to ask her to go to prom in a petty plot to hurt his twin brother. Along the way Hayley falls for Ethan, instead of his evil twin.
WOW JUST WOW 🤭!! Okay, so this book was amazing and definitely for teens, there was no spice (just a few kisses) which I liked, and there were a lot of ups and downs that had me on my feet. (spoilers) my favorite part was when Ethan surprised Hayley before prom and asked her to be his real girlfriend. I was really into this book at the end and in the beginning. The middle was interesting as well, I felt like the whole book was in order and none of it was boring or I wasn't into it so I liked that too. As for the band... excuse me VELOCITY!! ETHAN SINGING TAYLOR SWIFT TO HAYLEY AS A PROMPOSAL AT THEIR CONCERT WAS CRAZY AND ROMANTIC. AND ETHAN ENDING UP WRITING THE POEM THAT OWEN READ AHHHHH THATS CRAZY AND THE FACT THAT ETHAN DIDNT TELL HER ABOUT THE POEM LIKE BROOOO!!! In the end, I liked this book and the dual POV because I got to understand what was happening from both Ethan's and Hayley's perspectives and that made the book a lot clearer, I can't wait to read the other 2 books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.