A Match Made in High School

by Kristin Walker, Кристин Уокер

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can't get any worse. Then she marries her "husband": jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona's long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer.

Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, High School, Chick Lit, Teen, Realistic Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2010

About the author

Kristin Walker grew up in the Pennsylvania countryside, finally landing at Penn State where she earned a BA in Theatre Arts. In addition to being an actor, Kristin worked at many things on her way to becoming an author. She was a lifeguard, a nanny, a beginning ballroom dance instructor, a library circulation clerk, and very nearly a nurse. She's the author of the young adult novels, A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL and 7 CLUES TO WINNING YOU. She also has written a middle grade novel, THE FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in LADYBUG, WEE ONES, and two CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL books. Kristin lives in a Philadelphia suburb with her husband and three sons.

Reviews

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know about you, but from time to time I like to curl up in my bed, with a cute book in my hands and not to think about anything - just enjoy it's cuteness.
Yesterday was one of those days - I was searching for something light and it was even more that what I've been looking for, because at the end of the day my cheeks hurt from so much laughing.



The story is somehow simple.
Step 1: Girl (Fiona) like the boy (Gabe). Girl thinks the boy might like her.
Step 2: Girl hates another boy (Todd). The girl and this other boy receive a common assignment.
Step 3: Girl and the other boy (Todd) are at first enemies, while they have to pretend they are fake 'husband and wife' for a school [let's say] 'project', and (after some pranks, fights and misunderstandings), as they get to know each other, they find out that hate is such a strong word and maybe, just maybe they even like each other.

What's different in this one from all the others?
Well, the bits between each step.
Because there is more to this story. There is Fiona's funny family, and her friends Marcie and Johnny, the settling is original and amazingly funny (in a silly sort of way), the ending is different than what you might think, and did I mention how much I've laughed while reading it? Well, a lot!

My favorite character is Sam, a little girl that Fiona has to babysit for. She is cute, smart and as sweet as honey. I liked also the moments when Todd has there too, helping with the babysitting. And I loved her innocence - not sure if everyone would notice her through the story, but I guess I am not everyone.



Now if you ask me what I didn't like about this story, I would tell you that (probably) the switch in personality some characters seemed to suffer from - I like my characters to stay true to their nature, not to change at some point just because the plot requires it.. but this was just a tiny flaw.

The rest of it was pretty entertaining, and it made me feel so much better - the perfect read for my not so perfect Sunday :)


Review originally posted at ReadingAfterMidnight.com
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[jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up this book at Border's the other day, I read the back and scoffed.

That's right, people. I scoffed. Rolled my eyes, even.

A required marriage course in order to graduate high school? That would never happen. However, I'd read several glowing reviews on the hilarity factor of AMMIHS, so I picked it up. I am so glad that I did. Fiona's voice is hilarious. I promise you that the novel actually contained the phrase "he reached over and honked her boob." LOLs aplenty! I enjoyed how carefree Fiona "Fee" was about her nerd/weirdo status. Fiona is who I wish I could've been in high school. I was awkward and gangly and average looking, but I was entirely insecure about it. Fiona didn't care, and had a smart azz mouth to boot. Quips flew about like spitballs and I had to come up with an excuse as to why I was laughing out loud in my cubicle at work.

"Match" introduced a line of stereotypical, yet colorful, characters.

Todd Harding, Fee's fake-husband, with whom she develops a precarious balance between friendly affection and utter hatred. He's a bull-headed jock, but could there be some semblance of a heart underlying those ripped pecs and gargantuan ego?! Read and find out :D
I loved the dynamic of the pseudo-friendship between Todd and Fiona. Their constant banter had me giggling like a freak in public. It's not often a book can make me lulz. Usually I'll smile coyly to myself, but this laughter was audible.

I seriously loved the whole cast of characters. Johnny Mercer being among my favorites as the quiet, yet endearing, friend. One of them, who shall remain nameless, did provoke some serious temporary hate from me for pulling the stunt they did. I knew it was coming from 100 pages away, but I was hoping I was wrong. I would've handled this situation much differently than Fee (read: a much-deserved throat punch) but that's just me. I also thought Fiona's mom and what she did was a bit hokey, but that's totally overlookable in the big picture.

Kristin Walker is a fabulously addictive writer. I could not stop reading this book. Her writing flowed very well and I'd like to hang out with her sometime. I think we would probably be rolling on the floor with coffee coming out our noses, because we have extremely similar senses of humor. I love how she acknowledged Fiona's flaws and her struggle to rise above her drawbacks. There was serious, SERIOUS character development in this book. I wasn't expecting it from such a light, humorous story, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I will most DEFINITELY be reading anything Walker puts out in the future. I'm thoroughly impressed.

[Ging · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not expect anything big from the book since the whole idea itself seemed silly. A Marriage Education program was proposed by the school's counselor wherein senior girls and boys will be paired to act like a true married couple (which I find really unrealistic). Todd and Fiona hated each other. Unfortunately, they were accidentally paired for the said course. It was like heaven vs hell whenever they are in the same area. Totally mismatched!

In the beginning everything was cool and funny. I always love sarcastic characters, and Todd and Fiona seemed like the masters of sarcasm and pranks. Their endless retaliation, snide witty remarks and goofiness are sure fun to read.

Until I made this stupid delusion that Señor Shitslacks (Fiona's sweet name for Todd) and Princess Pisspants(well, you know where that came from) will end up together. I did not consider Johnny for Fiona, really. I was really pissed because even if Todd is a true jerk and Johnny is the perfect one, it did not fit for me. It must be my fault why I hated it. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I did not appreciate how it ended.

Nonetheless, it was sure hilarious and truly entertaining. If you dig something funny right now, I definitely recommend this one.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot of this book is so ridiculous. It's totally unrealistic that a school would ever have a 'marriage' class. However, that's the reason I initially picked it up. The plot seemed to be set up for tons of flirty bickering.

As I was reading this book, the first thing I thought of was Quizilla.com. This story seriously reminded me of all the stories posted online at Quizilla back in 2005. It was always the same type of story. A witty, unique girl is pushed into a situation with the sexy, douchbaggy, popular boy. They fight all the time and enventually fall madly deeply in love with each other. But this book didn't end like I thought it would.

I didn't care much for Fiona's bestie Mar. She seemed very one-dimensional and bland. It made me feel very smart though to realize what the shocking 'twist' was. Mar had been secretly dating Gabe who Fiona was obsessively crushing on. I thought their fight over the Gabe situation was stupid. I felt like the book was telling me that Fiona was being a self-centered lunatic that didn't care about anyone else, but I actually thought that Mar was a bitch. She should have just told Fiona to begin with and the whole thing could've been avoided. She tries to come clean ONCE and meanwhile Fiona goes on her own ADD type of tangent. Yes, Fiona kept interrupting her, but it wasn't like Mar tried to repeatedly tell Fiona for weeks and got fed up.

The thing I absolutely hated about this book was the ending. Oh my god, I hated it. My reasoning being Fiona's love situation. The whole book Fiona and d-bag Todd have this love-hate thing going on. They humiliate each other and some really cute fights. The only scenes I really liked were with Fiona and Todd. Some people said that they didn't think this book was funny, that the jokes were too dirty. I thought it was hilarious, but that's just me. I like the pervy, sexual innuados they flung at one another.

As I read the book, I kept thinking Fiona + Todd = <3. So, we get to the end of the book, and what happens? THERE IS NO TODD AND FIONA! Nothing progresses beyond friends and instead of getting with the guy she has all this chemistry with, she ends up with this creepy guy named Johnny. We spent the entire book devoloping Fiona and Todd's relationship and then in the last 20 pages they just threw Johnny into the mix. If Fiona and Johnny were meant to be together at the end of the book, I wish they would've focused on why and how of their relationship. I know everything about Todd and nothing about Johnny. It was kind of a waste of time. And to be honest, I don't see the chemistry with Fiona and Johnny. Let's be real...if this was real life Fiona would have never gotten with Johnny. He would have been in the dreaded 'friend-zone'. They would have been really good friends and talked about music, BUT never hook up. All in all, it all just felt a little forced on the authors part.....

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL made me laugh-out loud a half dozen times-- in the first chapter. Fiona, the main character, is snarky and fun, and you'll love reading the story unfold from her point of view. Will she and her fake-husband ever learn to get along? You won't want to put this one down!

[Yan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was hi-freaking-larious! The traded insults, the clever pranks, the laugh out loud rants! I spent the majority of the time actually laughing rather than reading, but of course I did love the words, plotlines, as well.

I love the way the characters were done. In the very beginning you just couldn’t help but hate Todd and fall over heals for Gabe, the perfect guy. The transition from hate, to tolerable, to almost, dare I say, liked of Todd was impeccably done. A smooth ride, without a single awkward phase. The other characters were also quite dimensional, the bad side and the good side. It never was this single label you could place on someone, a dumb blond cheerleader, a forever by your side best friend, and even a big awkward music loving, just, guy friend.

This book was so unpredictable! One minute I think I have everything figured out and who ends up with whom then WHAM! “Why didn’t I see this coming!?” Despite the subtle albeit huge hints dropped along the way, my one-tracked though I had it all figured out. I’m actually so happy I was wrong.

I also the ending was extremely well done! Everything pulled in together, a pleasing ending

Overall: An amazing, spectacular read!

[Steph (Reviewer X) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Given the recent wave of people saying how fantastic this book is, I thought I should probably justify the low rating. I thought -- MAYBE some good can be done with this premise. But then the book itself played on stereotypes, unbelievable situations, and superficial character development AT BEST. The funny bits that everyone seems to be referring to are--what? Todd and Fiona's exchanges? That's the only thing I can kind of see, but even that is that sort of forced humor that, again, plays on unbelievable situations.

When there are so many genuinely funny books, and genuinely feel-good heartfelt novels, I can't in good conscience recommend this. It's far from being even passable, and, frankly, YA has a lot more to offer.

[~Tina~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm such a hard sell when it comes to the funny, but this book is Hi-freaken-larious!
My cheeks still actually ache from all the laughing and smiling I was doing. It has with out a doubt some of thee best slams, pranks and banter ever written. Seriously I don't remember laughing so much while reading a book. My kids thought I was insane.

I really related to this book more then I ever thought I would. For one, Todd and Fiona relationship/friendship is a lot like mine and my husband. We love to pick, slam and banter all in the name of good fun. Also, I actually did a marriage course in high school, it wasn't this in depth of course, but it did bring back some fond memories of those days while I was cradling a little egg in a basket and calling it baby.

I don't really know what else to say besides I loved this book. I loved every single one of these characters, Johnny is a totally sweetie-pie but I would have to say that Todd and Fiona were my favorite thing about this book. There dialog was so freaken spot on funny that I kept wanting to see what they'd say next.
The writing is just amazing and I adore the way Kristin Walker pens such a smooth great feel book that makes it feel like I'm in high school all over again while adding some really insightful realizations towards the characters. This plot is to much fun with an unexpected ending which was nice. Good stuff.

All in all, Match Made in High school is a fantastically great read, it will make you laugh out load repeatably and pull at those heart strings once it's all said and done.
This one really surprised me in the greatest way possible and I want to thank Arlene and Jen for there awesome reviews, I wouldn't have read this other wise.
I guess I should have known;)

[Mir]

My sister had to waste spend a year of high school in a Marriage Class. Before that I had never heard of such a thing. Her class seemed pretty stupid, but on the other hand she is happily married now, unlike her siblings who did not have the benefit of this course... Coincidence?!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. SO. This one took me a little longer than it should have. I found it hard to get into, and I didn't really like the characters... at all... but once I got about 50 pages in, the gags started and the jokes just kept coming. It was funny! I'm not gonna lie.

I really enjoyed reading anything (and everything) to do with Todd. Seriously, that guy was gold. I loved the witty, snide remarks, and Fee's comebacks were very often just as amusing. Fee's voice felt quite real to me, I think the sarcasm she oozed was a lot like myself, and I got that. She didn't feel like a 'fake' teenage girl, as authors sometimes tend to create. If that even makes any sense.

Definitely not a 'deep' book, but it was a cute, fun read and I had a lot of giggles throughout :)

[Nuria · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 stars

It was entertaining but nothing more. It reads very fast and has funny parts that make reading enjoyable. The plot is fine but without more. A simple reading with protagonists who go to high school who have to deal with a marriage course apart from their own problems.
As for the characters, I liked Todd and Fiona's relationship. It was quite funny especially the jokes that are made. And I also liked Fiona's change when she realizes how selfish she is. But ultimately I stay with Johnny. I liked the way to defend Fiona and as always it is for her.
I liked the end although I already saw half the book coming
In conclusion it was entertaining, with funny moments and quick to read.

2.5/ 5 estrellas

Estuvo entretenida pero nada más. Se lee muy rápido y tiene partes graciosas que te hacen amena la lectura. La trama está bien aunque sin mas. Una lectura simple con protagonistas que van al instituto que tienen que lidiar con un curso matrimonial a parte de sus propios problemas.
En cuanto a los personajes me gustó la relación de Todd y Fiona. Fue bastante graciosa sobre todo las bromas que se hacen. Y también me gustó el cambio de Fiona cuando se da cuenta de lo egoísta que es. Pero en definitiva me quedo con Johnny . Me gustó la manera de defender a Fiona y como siempre está para ella.
El final me gustó aunque ya lo veía venir la mitad del libro
En conclusión estuvo entretenida , con momentos graciosos y rápido de leer .

[♥ Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know there's something not quite right you end up liking the "antagonist"/side character more than the main character. I'm sorry, but hands down, I would have preferred to read about Amanda over Fiona, any day. The premise of this book was obviously interesting and fun, but totally cheesy. The overall story had a teeny-bopper, chick flick feel, à la the likes of: Mean Girls, and She's All That.

Except the geeky dork chick didn't end up with the dreamy douche jock.

First and foremost: Fiona, Princess Pisspants was just not that likable. At all.

And then, all the unnecessary details about her babysitting adventures, her girlfriend problems, and various other judgmental monologues held in her one-dimensional, stuck-up, annoying little head were very hard to take in. I tried and tried to like her. But her twisted, sarcastic, and very MEAN voice ultimately succeeded in pushing me away for good. She was "too far gone" in my eyes. Nothing could have redeemed her character for me. Not even the ending, which was wrapped up in pretty shiny wrapping paper with extra fluffy bows on top. It just wasn't believable. 90% of the book, she's a b!tch, then ALL OF A SUDDEN she's not? The *reason* for her sudden epiphany kind of offended me. (Was I truly s'posed to believe that crap?)

The only redeeming factors were: the weirdly twisted mean-girl nerd humor (yes, there were some really funny moments), and the idea of the mandatory Marriage Prep class. It was totally unrealistic, but so much fun. Almost like a game like Monopoly or something.

In the end though, I couldn't appreciate this book for more than its' surface-level, shallow tricks. The initial "thrill" of the Game wore off too soon, as Fiona's Holier Than Thou, Mean and Bitter Nerd Girl attitude crushed all my hopes and patience. And though the Mean Girl humor was noted and sometimes appreciated, there were times where the whole thing just kind of crossed the line. All of the lewd sexual innuendos. I highly doubt real HS kids speak/flirt with each other that way. Gross.

All that tension b/w Senor Shitslacks and Princess Pisspants for what?!

Finally, I also had a "feeling" about her backstabber friend from the beginning - that "story line" should have just been completely CUT. Total waste of time. And though I liked Jack, I barely felt like I knew him. Did he just get thrown in the mix for some unneeded drama? Because I wasn't impressed. This book looks, feels, and acts like a teen chick flick, but it ultimately turned out to be a poorly executed wannabe.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot express the awesomeness that is this book! It was so much fun! I could just read it again, and again, and again. It is just one of those books that makes you feel warm and tingly, it's entertaining, easy to read and fast.

This is one of those times, where you are going to want to make sure you have time to read, because you're not going to want to stop once you've started.

I do have to admit, when I started the novel I was a little skeptical. Right off the bat Fiona gets paired with the popular jock. That in itself is a recipe for disaster. I kept thinking to myself, please don't let this be one of those books, please don't let it! The popular jock falling for the main character is sooooo overdone, and it's completely unrealistic. I'm tired of it. THANKFULLY, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The stereotypical characters where there.... but they just weren't you're typical stereotypical characters, you might try to label these characters, but it just won't stick.

Even more so impressing, for me, is that I could not stop laughing. I had tears in my eyes. I was reading this at work on my lunch break and someone asked if they could read that it after me, because I was laughing so hard! (They were looking at me like I was crazy!) The insults, the smart ass comments, the pranks, it was just priceless. In the words of Fiona, it was hi-freaking-larious!

Not only was it hilarious, but it was unpredictable. There was one little snippet that I did figure out in the beginning, but that was the only aspect, everything else I tried to guess about, I was wrong, way wrong. And I loved the story even more so because of that.

Fun characters, even funnier premise, awesome writing, satisfying ending.... this was an awesome debut. Can't wait to read more from Walker.

[Booknut 101 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the words of Mother Superior from Sound of Music "CLIMB EV-ERY MOUN-TAIN!"

Yes...this book was hard to start.
Yes...there were moments when I wanted to cry due to the sheer amount of teenage stupidity.
Yes...it was a hard climb.

But I made it. To once again quote Sound of Music:



Before I go into how this book went from 'someone shoot me' to 'I could turn this into Mean Girls 3', I want to go over a few of the flaws.

1.) "She was wearing the same tired beige skirt suit she wore to every slightly special event at ECHS. Good thing she was African American. If she'd been white, she'd have looked nude in that pasty outfit."

There are no words to accurately describe my expression when I read this.
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2.) "A bunch of idiots started yelling "What?" and "Hell, no!" and "No way!"
I yelled, "Bite me!""

And 'Bite me', is a much better way to address your school principal, hon - you're way above the 'bunch of idiots' in that respect. Not.

3.) Head-slap worthy moment: when people in the story consider changing 'Fiona' to 'Pee-ona' a worthy insult.

Puh-lease. I could think of a million better ones!!


When the story finally goes uphill, you start to feel a sense of RELIEF.

Finally, she's becoming a smarter person.
YES - bingo!! Worthy male interest who is sarcastic, rude and cute as, has appeared!
Oh. He has a girlfriend.
He likes his girlfriend.
THEN WHO DOES SHE END UP WITH?!

This is the part where you begin to panic. Because YA books have a distinct pattern:
- GIRL
- GIRL TALKS ABOUT HER BORING LIFE
- GIRL SEES BOY
- GIRL GETS TO KNOW BOY
- GIRL AND BOY HATE EACH OTHER
- GIRL AND BOY FIGHT
- GIRL AND BOY MAKE UP
- GIRL AND BOY GO OUT AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER ON A PONY FARM


Except in this book it goes something like:
- GIRL
- GIRL TALKS ABOUT HER BORING LIFE
- (repeat previous step)
- (repeat previous step)
- GIRL SEES BOY
- (Girl immediately detests said boy - hasn't even known him for 5 seconds, but whatever.)
- GIRL GETS TO KNOW BOY
- GIRL AND BOY HATE EACH OTHER
(And yet kinda don't. It's weird.)
- GIRL AND BOY FIGHT
- GIRL AND BOY MAKE UP
- GIRL AND BOY GO OUT become...friends. AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER ON A PONY FARM and she goes out with the other guy who was dorky, but turns hot like halfway through the book - which is weird - and everyone's sort of nice to one another and you have this feeling that the author wanted to put the GIRL and BOY together, and then the editor ripped up that copy so she wrote another and forgot the original ending so she wrote this one.

So, moral of this story:
- School teaches you about life
- School is weird
- School counsellors are seriously messed up
- Janitors attend school dances (?????)
- Dorky, weird dudes turn hot eventually (magic involved??????)

The one thing I DETESTED about this book was that it taught us that being a cheerleader is more important than reading PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

...
...
...

Let that sink in.
Please.
Before I cry.

Because NOTHING is more important than finishing that precious, precious book! How dare those horrid highschool students convince her otherwise!! I am offended on behalf of Austen and her gorgeous book!

*sniffs*
*swipes eyes*
*huffs*

She...did...finish it. AFTER being a stupid cheerleader.
Mr Darcy would have loved that, I bet.
Yep - Elizabeth Bennet the Cheerleader.


"Give me a P! Give me a R! Give me a I-D-E! WHAT DOES THAT SPELL?!"

[Isamlq · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5,

A MATCH MADE IN HIGH SCHOOL is a pick me up. It’s ideal for another moment of me finding myself bored with the current crop of YA couples and their “Oh, I love you so’s,” because the two here are most definitely not in love each other. Rather, there’s an intense dislike that causes a series of pretty juvenile exchanges. Juvenile, but hilarious; it was the hilarity that ensued that made A MATCH simple mindless fun. Once again, I find myself experiencing that happy/goofy feeling that I get after reading light fluff (a la So Over You or Fat Cat.)

It starts off very high school musical of the mildly geeky girl with a best friend (who’d metamorphosed into hot) drooling over Mr. Perfect. Yes, this has been done to death already. The hook is the school’s brand spanking new pet project of having the seniors fake through a marriage. The pair ups are obvious of: Fiona with her mortal enemy; said mortal enemy’s GF with the boy Fiona’d been drooling over; and Fiona’s BFF with the nice guy. Thus, the resulting exchanges between them were funny and even brushing the line of offensive (sometimes crossing it even.) The good thing? She gave as good as he did. The best thing? Theirs was still no love connection, RATHER an eventual acceptance of what the other was.

Let’s face it: she is what they call her out to be: insensitive and judgmental but also out there and unafraid to say what crossed her mind. As to Todd, he too was precisely what she said he was: obnoxious, a douche and full of himself, but also helpful and kind when need be. BUT their INTERACTION, their BANTER was the best thing in it.

And gosh by golly, while I do appreciate Todd not being the love her life, I love, love, love that he was the source of her aggravation. Mainly because everything else was pretty standard: the real love while was cute and sweet but rather obvious. So other than my going “Aaw, shucks” for them near the end; frankly, there’s really not that much to figure out about him. Or Fee’s issues with her BFF’s (or should that be the other way around?) these too were pretty standard and obvious miles away. SO, despite Todd and Fee’s crossing the line sometimes, it’s the way they were together on a page that had me laughing (a lot.)

It be fluff-filled, but I be happy.
3.5/5

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! It's been on my TBR for years and I'm so happy I finally read it. This book is so fun, cute and very funny. If you love contemporary, you should read it. Stay tuned for reviews on my blog and channel :)

[Zemira Warner]

Gah! I want this book. Right now.

*edit*
That's it! I'm gonna order it next month on http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/

[Amber (Books of Amber) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of Amber

A Match Made in High School is a book that has been on my TBR for the longest time. I went through a slight phase of buying all the cute contemporary books that I could, because they're perfect for summer and binge-reading. I've been in a contemporary mood this month (the weather is starting to pick up so that's the probable cause) and so I went for AMMIHS first of all.

A Match Made in High School is an all right book. It's nothing mind blowing or amazing, and I did have some issues with it. Aside from those issues, which I will go into in a minute, I enjoyed the book as I was reading it, as long as I didn't analyse it too much.

Fiona was a flawed character, both in terms of personality and in terms of character building. I don't know what it was about her, but I didn't think she was the best developed main character I've ever come across. She is shallow, but so are all of the characters in this book, so I can't really fault her for that. And she does realise this and tries to make amends. She's just not a very nice person, really, and as one of the other characters tells her, she doesn't have to try very hard to be "perfect".

I got incredibly annoyed in the beginning because I wasn't a fan of Todd at all. He was an absolute arse, and no amount of banter could have made me like him or ship him with Fiona. In fact, I still want to slap him around the head. But, eventually I saw where the book was going in terms of the ship, and it didn't take the usual predictable path.

To be honest, I found the entire concept a bit far-fetched. Apparently the school board or ministers of eduction or whatever ruled that the seniors have to be paired up and "married" for the year due to rising divorce rates. It was fairly ridiculous. It would have made more sense if the students had been paired up for a class experiment or something. Over here in the UK we have a class once a week called PSCHE, which basically covers all the sex ed and health stuff and real life education young teens would need (and ignores things like taxes and mortgages and insurance and that good stuff). So if Walker had used something similar to drive the plot forward, it would have made more sense to me.

So, what did I like? Some of the banter between Todd and Fiona, even though it made me want to kill the guy and roll my eyes at her. Some of the lines were funny, okay? I'm a complex person. I also liked how easy it was to read. But, ultimately, it was lacking, so I can't give this one a very high rating.

[Yue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I blame movies like John Hughes's or "10 Things I Hate About You". Or books like "Much Ado About Nothing". You know the kind: romantic comedies, involving tangles, young adult characters, some misunderstandings, great background figures, etc. And I also blame that the system at my office was down, and this book was at hand, and it was reading this (and finish it) or doing nothing.

I am always looking for good YA romantic comedies. Was this YA? Yes, the plot develops in High School. Even if I finished school almost 10 years ago, I am attracted to this kind of books. Was this romantic? Hell no. Was this a comedy? Not even close! I did not even smile once.

Plot: the Principal decided to make this project for students in their last year. Each student would have a "couple" and they would have to stay "married" for the rest of the year. What kind of project is that? I thought the author was going to present it in an original way, or at least, in a funny way, but no. They even had a "wedding" ceremony, arghhh. I mean, I've read some books, and watched some movies, where a female and a male student had to pretend to be parents of a doll, and it is always funny, but the project only lasts a couple of weeks or something. Not like in this case who had to last the whole year or they could not graduate (!).

Characters: - Fiona, the lead character. Arghhh, what an annoying girl. Please authors, realize that not because your heroine is not popular, "common", or read books like P&P, or does not give a damn about what other people think, means that she is someone with "strong personality". Or that she is similar to Elizabeth Bennett. Or maybe Daria Morgendorffer? Because Fiona was... NOT!. She liked to criticize others, was rude, selfish, childish. Every time she had her revenge against Todd... whatever. Each one of them showed she was not only childish, but vulgar too. No wonder she had no friends. And she was a bit of disgusting too.

- Todd: maybe the most interesting character in the book, along with his girlfriend Amanda. Not that I understand how could he even like Fiona. They had ZERO chemistry, it was so forced.

- Marcie: Fiona's "supposed" best friend. Yes, she was clever enough to figure Fiona's selfishness out. But only after she started dating Fiona's long crush... behind her back. This Gabe guy has been Fiona's first love since FOREVER (and Marcie knew all the time of course, as she has been her "best friend always") and even so, she dated him SECRETLY. She was listening Fiona comment about Gabe's supposed glares or flirts while putting some gloss on her lips, with a perfect poker face, hiding the truth. And then, after she realizes Gabe is not who she thought he was, she seeks comfort in her 'best friend'. Nice, Marcie... NOT!

- Johnny: OK character, kind of boring. And again, cannot understand WHY he liked Fiona.

So disappointing.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to read a good contemporary YA novel like Kristen Stewart needs to smile...badly. It's with infinite gratitude that I give my thanks to the Book Gods and Kristin Walker for A Match Made in High School. It's fun, it's quirky, it's relatively unpredictably and it's full of bickering. Funny, somewhat risque bickering that made me what to track down a certain chap from over a decade ago and see if we could resume similar communications via Facebook. I know, I am sad...and kind of crushing on Todd Harding. What can I say? I love an ass. An ass who has a definite way with dirty jokes and innuendo.

What I am trying to say is that this novel is infused with life. It's sparky, quickly paced and more than anything moves the protagonist through a series of events to a natural point of self realisation. Fiona's self-indulgent, snobbish and a little self centred. While many of my fellow reviewers found this protagonist to be frustrating, I overly identified with her. In fact, her self realisation coincided with my recognition of her more negative character traits. Sure, I was aware of how her behaviour was affecting others, even when she wasn't, but I truly empathised with her situation.

The concept of a student fake marriage curriculum program is a little far fetched but it works exceedingly well to authentically evolve a myriad of characters. It is not just Fiona who grows in this novel, it's the whole host of supporting characters. Each is well rounded. Flaws abound in this group of individuals, they can appear cliched on first glance but almost immediately Walker allows you to peek behind the curtain.

The storyline is tightly plotted with a variety of relationships depicted to varying degrees of depth. From the precocious babysitting charge to the girlified best friend to the snarky parents - each adds to the storyline and dollops of humour. Slightly predictable (I saw the Mar twist coming from a mile away), the journey is interesting enough (and at times swervy enough) to keep you turning the pages at a rapid pace.

The writing is somewhere in the field of Sarah Dessen or Elizabeth Scott, I am leaning towards to latter due the heavier use of humour and the (at times) delightfully crude dialogue. Walker has smartly crafted a protagonist that is all personality without having to lean on cliched crutches eg 'woe is me, I am beautiful but misunderstood', 'my parents are screwed up and so am I', 'people die around me...a lot' or vampires. The internal passage of this girl is frequently laugh provoking, snarky and real. Friendship plays just as an important role as friendship and that is something I can really get behind. The plot and writing style are nicely weighted to tell the story of an ordinary girl with ordinary problems in an exciting, dynamic voice.

An impressive debut effort!

[babyhippoface · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because I'd read reviews that raved about how hilarious it was. Bummer for me.

The only parts I really thought were funny were those moments between Fiona and Todd, where they were sniping back and forth at each other, (and even those weren't that funny).

Major problems for me:
1] Most of the time I just didn't find Fiona to be likeable enough to really make me empathize with her. She tended to be more self-centered, self-pitying, and whiny, and thought she was superior to everyone else, intellectually and socially. Kind of a stereotypical "smart nerd girl", I guess. The scenes where Fiona was at her best were those with Samantha, the 11-year-old girl she babysits. Her character did improve a little toward the end, when she learned to treat people with a modicum of respect.

2] The guidance counselor was portrayed like an idiot. From her earliest appearance, when she's flirting with a high school boy, to her out-of-control rampage in the end, she was just... stupid. Did not like her at all. Unrealistic character playing to the "Teens-Are-Smarter-Than-The-Adults" comedic strain, and it just didn't work for me.

3] The idea that any high school administrator would try this "Marriage Project" is inane. No way. For a month, maybe. For an entire school year, never. And require kids to give up their own hard-earned money as part of the project? Wouldn't happen.

Maybe I just didn't read it with the right mindset. Maybe expecting too much in the humor department. Maybe not reading it as a satire. Not sure. But for me, overall, a disappointing read.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I’ll admit... I didn’t like the storyline and most of the characters for a good part of the book, but then it had a turning point for me and I was hooked...absolutely hooked! I really didn’t see myself giving this book more than two stars; but as you can see, I was won over by the concept, characters and ultimate lessons I gleaned from this book.

Fiona’s narrative is sarcastic, harsh and downright funny. Her constant verbal sparring with Todd was hi-freakin-larious! By the end of the story, I was a huge fan of Fee, and come on who wouldn’t like a girl that mocks “jazz hands”?? LOL I think it took courage for her to face her faults and be the bigger person. Her actions in the last part of the book had me applauding her efforts.

About the book: Fiona’s senior year cannot get any worse. The school has decided to instill a marriage ed course as a mandatory requirement for graduation. Her partner, jerky-jock Todd, is the last person she’d dream of being teamed with. Don’t get me wrong, he’s gorgeous, smart, popular and taken, but they can’t stand each other, plus it doesn’t help that Todd’s girlfriend, Amanda, is Fee’s arch enemy. You’d think the typical YA romance would have them hooking up at the end of this novel, but no.no.no. What happens in this story is far better and much more fulfilling. Awesome turn of events and great character development!

Great, quick read that will have you falling for the least likely of characters and laughing out loud the entire time.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be really bad, but once I read the first two chapters it turned out starting to be really good. I thought at the end that it was only worth 4 stars.
What can I say I had borrowed this book from a friend of mine wanting a book to read and she hadnt read it yet so I went for it. And I did think that this was going to be a horrible book only thinking of a having one or two stars but I got into the book and thought it was HILARIOUS. I did not expect this book to be so funny.
I really hope this author Kristin Walker is going to write more books hoping to be alot like A match made in high school with the same hilarious sass as this one.
This book is about the headmaster saying each senior student must be paired up with another (well if your a boy you must be paired up with a girl and the other way around) for this marrige course that they have to take. If they dont take this stupid course then they fail for senior year and dont graduate. Fiona cant believe who she is paired up with and so is her best friend. Throughout the book there are many twist and hilarious pranks.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Match Made In High School was one of the most wickedly hilarious books of the year!

From page one, you are thrown into Fiona's grueling senior year. Fiona is a character that you are going to love, because of her tell it as it comes attitude to her comical side which has you forever laughing. Tod and Johnny are the exact same way, making the characters in this book a key part to it's greatness.

The plot was unique, because really have you ever read a teen book dealing with mandatory Marriage Education program? Yeah, I didn't think so. I loved different jokes and pranks Kristin added in this, ones that you wouldn't normally have seen if the Marriage Education program wasn't present. Also, there were constantly different revelations thrown at you, making this a fast and fun read.

Overall, Kristin is a yet another great add to the YA market, I look forward to reading more by her in the future.

I suggest A Match Made In High School to fans of Meg Cabot and Susane Colasanti or teens just looking for a cute and funny romance comedy.

Grade: A+

[Sónia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely fun to read, I thought for a moment that I had it all figured out for some reason and it surprised me because it went down differently. The main character pissed me off for a moment, I think it's awesome that she's so straightforward and she doesn't give a damn what people think about her, but she has no right to speak to people the way she does sometimes.
It was very fun to read though, and I did it in one sitting, easy and fast read.

[BookishBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can get beyond the title and the grotesquely pink cover…. This book is actually adorable. I even chuckled out loud a few times.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second book for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge, and I actually bought this one. No more freebies, I got it in Chapters. :D Not that I did my famous PANIC LUNGE at the shelf when I saw it, or anything. Truly, I am so weird in bookstores.

Ahem. Anyways, I read it almost a month ago, and I have been very remiss about reviewing it. That's because I've been keeping it by my bed for cheerful reading before sleep. I can open it at random, read a paragraph or two, and always find something to make me chuckle, if not laugh outright. This is a very funny book. ^_^ I'll do the random open thing now, and find a quote. *opens to page 31*

Heh

"I thought today would be the first day of a fantastic senior year. Instead, it sucked. Now I have to spend the whole year SHACKLED to a person (who shall remain nameless, but his initials are TODD HARDING) whom I despise. I have been advised to try to find on redeeming quality in him to focus on. So far, the only I can think of is that he is breathing. But even that is questionable, because is very likely a zombie or some other form of the undead."

And that gives you a good glimpse of Fiona's voice to boot! As you may have gathered, Fiona has been paired with Todd (I'll explain why and how in a sec, be patient), and she doesn't think too highly of him. He shares this opinion. Of her, that is- he thinks he's pretty awesome. They would both be VERY happy never having to share space in the same room, only their principle has decided to instigate something called a "Marriage Education Class."

 The whole senior class has been paired together randomly- which means that basically no one is with someone they like. But they will have to work together, all year. Or they don't graduate.

And not even just in class, the terms of the sentence class dictate that they'll have to work together OUTSIDE of school as well, earning money. All the money goes into a pot, and at the end of the year the "couple" with the best "marriage" gets the money. (Which is probably the primary reason the entire senior class doesn't drop out, right then.)

And then, as everyone unwillingly works together, they start to find that hey, there are actual human beings inside of that stereotype shell! (Not that it definitely means that we should be friends, mind you, but hey, you're a person! (And then later- hmmmmmm, maybe we can be friends! Maybe.))

Okay, anyone who reads the back of the book knows that's the way the plot is going to go. "People Learn To Look Beyond Surface Appearances." But beyond that turn, it manages to avoid a particular- dare I say it- stereotype of a plot. ^_^ Most of my predictions for what was going to happen were off, and there were quite a few twists which I really didn't see coming. The people who I expected to end up with each other didn't, and most importantly, the characters really seemed like real people. It wasn't just a case of an outcast learning that the popular people aren't so bad because she's accepted into their group- the characters unwillingly were forced to look beyond reputation and appearances. Nerdy Girl is still nerdy, and Jock Boy doesn't discover his artistic side, they just find out that there are people inside the uniforms. Which is a turn of events I like much, much more. :D

And can I say how much I liked Fiona? She's one confident girl! Yes, she's not "popular," but she's fine with that. She knows what and who she is, and the idea of changing herself to fit in never even comes up. This is quite a change from most teen female protagonists. ^_^ (Also, her parents are WIN. So much win. I want their relationship. :D)

Wow, this is a rambling mess of a review. :D Anyhow, I gave it three stars out of five, and I hope Mrs. Walker writes MANY more books!

One more quote. :D

Let me just pause to give a brief history of Todd harding and cheerleading. It's a legendary story at ECHS.

Freshman year, Todd moved to East Columbus and played football. He was some kind of prodigy or star or whatever. Anyway, halfway through the game with Lincoln High, Todd gets sacked and cracks four ribs. He's out for the season. Todd's mother goes mental and forbids him from playing football ever again.

Fast-forward to sophomore year. Todd and Amanda have been dating for a while. She's a cheerleader and convinces him to try out for the winter squad so they can spend more time together. Barf, I know. But he does, and, because he's strong, they can do these crazy mounts or stunts, and bigger pyramids and crap now. So the cheerleaders love him. But one day Brendan Jackson, who was the varsity quarterback, calls Todd queer because he's a cheerleader. And Todd says, (and this is the really famous part), "Lemme get this straight, Brendan. I spend all after noon with my hands between a hot cheerleader's thighs, looking up her skirt as I hold her over me. Meanwhile, you're bent over, sticking your fingers in some gat guy's butt crack again and again. But I'm the gay one?"

Funny, Funny times. :D

[charlie. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I wonder if true love is more subtle. If it sneaks up and just stands there next to you, and you don't recognize that it's true love until you turn and look at this thing that's been right there in front of you all along, and you realize that you never want to be without it."

At one glance, this seems like the typical girl-and-boy-hates-each-other-but-eventually-falls-in-love and I actually expected it to be. From the first few chapters, I expected Todd to reveal an ultimate secret why he's acting like a jerk. This was hilarious and I enjoyed myself reading it. The best part was Sam, the kid Fiona babysits and some of the pranks she did.

Unfortunately, there were two parts where I had to raise an eyebrow.

One is with their guidance counselor, Maggie. I expected her to act like an adult. I thought she'd be the one to shed some light about Fiona and Todd's mutual hate but she acted like some teenager who'd grovel at a handsome boy's feet. How her character acted at the end was also a bit off in my opinion. I understand stress and but I guess I expected her to be composed and not to whine about what's happening.

Second is the exaggeration of the girls being dumb.

"It took several minutes, as many of the senior girls had not yet mastered the intricacies of the English alphabet."

Well I seriously find it stupid to emphasize their stupidity by pointing out their lack of knowledge about the alphabet. I actually don't believe it. They live in America, and they're seniors for gods' sake. I might have understood if it was spelling or maths but this is quite eyebrow-raising moment for me.

Other than Sam, the only character I got to know was Fiona and Todd. I think they bring out the better qualities of each other and I like how breezy their friendship is like. He didn't lose the jerk attitude which is good because it was already embedded in his character and it would be quite weird for him to be suddenly two-goody shoes.

I also understood the way Fiona acted. Actually, it's how minorities usually act when they're used to bullying. Unlike Todd, I don't accept Amanda's reason for her behavior towards Fiona. I know I'm being biased but if Fiona became understanding despite all of it, I would cry bullshit. She was the most real character in the book and I actually liked how the author wrote her.

I definitely didn't expect the end. I was again blinded by the typical formula of boys and girls, but I was okay with it. I actually like this guy. I only wish we had the chance to get to know him more. It seems like the story revolved more around Fiona and Todd that other characters weren't able to develop.

All in all, I liked this story. One of those books I want to read after a stressful day from school.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXTREMELY HILARIOUS. I had a gut-busting, knee-slapping, informal side-splitting moments reading this book. The story is simple, the concept of the plot is not complicated but the prose and characters were so much fun. Fiona, the protagonist was not the common pretty&talented-but-she-doesn’t-know-it never-been-touched girl, but she is the latter plus someone else entirely new. She’s hilariously real and confident and proud of who she is. She speaks her mind and she’s just so much fun. She’s not perfect and she made a lot of mistake, believe me when I say a lot-it means plenty (more than one) all throughout the book, but what’s nice is that she came out humble and totally coved her ego. I salute ya girl! Todd was a complete jerk at the start but then once you got to know him, you’ll know he’s not the stereotyped brainless jock. Also Amanda, she has some issues but she turned out to be pretty okay. Marcie the BFF= I hated her sometime in the story, but lately I’ve come to terms that situations such as that happen. The story’s marriage education idea was very unusual and stupid, frankly. I was like “seriously?”, I know the objective and purpose of it and it’s good, but the mechanics of it all, being year-long,etc is just being way over the top. I have to admit the ending had me surprised. I had a few guesses in the beginning, and some were right but some were just so far away from the truth..
In the end, I liked how the characters learned how to like each other in their own weird ways (love-hate relationship),etc. Even in this funny book, I found some lessons. Friendships run around companionship, common ground, fun, misunderstandings, issues and there’s also forgiveness, no matter what. The past must belong to the past.. Also we must own our mistakes, and build ourself up on it and make it a foundation, and we’ll run to greater heights (okay, a bit over). But, with owning our mistakes, we humble down and take responsibility too, but we also have, to a point defend ourselves for what we believe is right. I also learned NOT to really judge the outside of a person, like some guys (even those whom you’ve liked for a long time) really turns out to be jerks, and yeah, they seem nice but really they’re not.. and those whom we thought to be jerks are the nice ones. :) Something to think about. Thanks Kristin Walker for the fun book!:)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did I wait so long to read this book??? It was really the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump. It was relatively short, I started reading it yesterday evening and was done in about 4.5 hours.

What would you do if you were a senior in high school and in order to graduate you had take part in a marriage program that is set up by the school counselor, principal, and school board? So for an entire year you are forced in an arranged marriage with someone that you could possibly despise and vice versa?? If it were you or I, we would probably just go with the flow and do what we had to do to graduate, but not Fiona. She's an envelope pusher, who mostly just likes to push the buttons of her arranged partner, Todd.

Walker is a seriously funny writer and the best part about this book were the characters. The setting of the marriage program was perfect for the bantering relationship that Todd and Fiona strive to achive. At first they prank one another out of revenge, but then it becomes the foundation of their relationship and they find that they enjoy one anothers quippy remarks and there is a quest to one up each other.

This book was filled with terrific characters, Fiona, Todd, Marcie, Jonny, Fiona's parents were all great, but probably my favorite was eleven year old Sam, who Fiona and Todd babysit as a way to earn money for their project. Sam is like a baby Yoda, she is wise in the ways of the world way beyond her eleven years. I wish that she would have been in the story a little more, especially toward the end, but alas there were plenty of other characters to keep me occupied.

So you might be asking why I gave this book 4 stars if I loved it so much. Well, there was just one thing that I was a litle disappointed with and without giving away the ending I think I can only say that there was Team Todd, Team Gabe, and Team Jonny and the one that I loved didn't get the girl. I now know how Team Jacob girls feel.

Overall, if you are looking for a quick, funny teen read then this is the book for you and I would highly reccommend not putting it off as long as I did because I wish that I would have picked it up a lot sooner. I can't wait to read more from Kristin Walker.