Review: The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

The Girlfriend Request

Author: Jodie Andrefski

Series: -

Pages: 216

Publisher/Source: Entangled Crush / Netgalley

Release date: 11^th January 2016

Synopsis: (Goodreads): Updating best friend to girlfriend is more than a change of status...

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...
This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one fake Facebook profile, two best friends who secretly crave each other, and a dreaded sex talk with parents...boy crush in the room included. Pushing a relationship beyond the friend zone has never been so crazy...

Review: 2 out of 5 stars

Not a good start to the year with my first disappointing read being The Girlfriend Request; a YA contemporary romance by Jodie Andrefski. I love a good friends to more story but this definitely fell flat for me.

Emma and Eli are the best of friends but Emma wanted to be more but she is extremely reluctant to admit her feelings so she starts up a new Facebook profile to friend Eli, get him to fall for her and then reveal it was her all along.

This book would be perfectly suited to the younger reader, I think this is where it faltered for me because I couldn’t understand the characters reasoning and actions; I was stumped about why Emma felt the need to complete a fake Facebook profile in the hopes that they would become more than friends, you can see right from the onset that there would be drama caused from the lies and deception so I wasn’t sold on the storyline although I’m sure the teen reader may be able to relate.

What I thought would be a fun and cute book ended up being full of drama, there were unnecessary fights and jealousy, Eli went from having Emma in the friend zone one moment to ‘noticing’ her the next; this trope annoys me. I understood why Emma would be shy to tell her best friend that she felt more for him but the way she went about it was really juvenile.

As you can tell, I didn’t completely love the characters in this book, they are both relatable teen characters but there were numerous moments where I was just infuriated with them both and their actions. We also get to meet a few side characters and I found them each interesting; I liked Jake and Sarah. 

Overall, I felt this story was written well but it didn’t wow me at all. I liked how the book ended despite it being rushed and cliché but up until that point there was a high level of uncertainty.

*Thank you Entangled Teen via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Girlfriend Request.

About the author: I've been passionate about reading since I was a little girl, which lead to a love of writing. I write YA--especially if it involves at least some kissing.

I have my B.S. in Secondary Education-English from Penn State University, and am also pursuing my M.S. in Mental Health Counseling.

I live in a small town in Pennsylvania with my teenage daughter.