This is a super adorable book with a wonderful title! I loved reading about Merrilee as she starts her new school, Hero High, and finds herself in the mix with some crazy new friends, old friends and one fantastic English teacher. I loved the way that the story has Merri obsessed with books and those great romantic reads! As the year begins, Merri's English teacher introduces them to Romeo and Juliet and she realizes that she may have found her own Romeo on the first day of school! I loved the conversation about R & J (since I teach it to my freshman) and I thought it was very clever the way in which the author mirrored Romeo and Darcy in this story. Merri's realization that Romeo may not be the hero she was looking for was well written and pulled out all of the traits I discuss with my students. As the story continues on, Merri and her parents have struggles, she has issues with her younger sister, boy friendship/relationship issues and of course her obsession with all things romantic in books. This is a fun read, great for middle and high school students. I just adored it! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I went into this expecting really cute and fast read and that is exactly what I got. Now when I first started this I was a little worried I wouldn't like it. While I enjoyed some of the characters the first 25% had some issues for me but once I continued on I realized why it was like that and then flew through the rest of the story. So I am giving this 4 stars for the second half of the book alone. I also definitely plan on reading the next book because I still have questions that I really hope get answered in another book.

Loved this!! It was really cute and a fun read. I loved how creepily obsessive Romeo was - because, really, he kind of is, especiallly when she didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Super enjoyable and I rooted for the main character. I loved all the little details from Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet - it was really fun to see how many I could Spot!

I really, really wanted to like this one. After all, it was seemingly made for me. First of all, that title. Second, it opened fairly early on with a Beauty and the Beast reference. Third, it is a Pride and Prejudice retelling. Pride and Prejudice retellings are my absolute guilty pleasure. Basically, all an author has to do is slap that description one the back of their book and I’m picking it up, much to my friends chagrin.

But, here’s the thing. If a book is going to be targeted as a contemporary YA, there’s one thing I need—no, demand—of my contemporary novels: it has to be realistic. Bookish Boyfriends fell short of that.

First, it was way over the top. Merrilee is attending a co-ed school for the first time, and she cannot believe she’s going to be in classes with boys. She’s dreaming about them in their uniforms and is hoping to find her own “hero at Hero High.” Honestly, it was like throwing a girl who had just escaped from a fifteen-long desert excursion into an all-you-can eat buffet. The poor boys at Hero High didn’t stand a chance. She is described as a romantic (okay, I can get behind that), who believes that she is Juliet reincarnated and those closest to her are modern day adaptions of other Romeo and Juliet characters (um. Come again?) Her best friend, Eliza, has a set of absentee parents, who are scientists and journey the world. They apparently have no problems with having their daughter switch schools just because her best friend is doing it, but they leave her behind with an ever rotating set of grad student babysitters and requirements to log everything she does: food, exercise, sleep. If she has even a fifteen-minute interruption in her sleep schedule, she has to log pages upon pages of paperwork on why that was.

And then there is Monroe. An inspiring actor, his words and actions were meant, presumably, to be dramatic and over-the-top, but in the end it just felt….smarmy. As someone who was in musical theater in high school, I can’t imagine any of the guys in the plays acting like this to get a date, and if they did I can guarantee you I would have been running away.

If this isn’t enough for you, there were a few instances throughout the book where it couldn’t decide if it was really a YA contemporary novel or if it was meant for a different life. Fairly early on in the book, Merrilee watches her teacher’s coffee cup turn from steel to sparkling, as if it were covered with rhinestones. And for as many books as I’ve read, as many books as I’ve obsessed over, not once did I think I was a book character come to life especially when I was FIFTEEN.

The second half of the book was...decent. I didn’t hate Fielding once I got to that point. He became less of a caricature of his literary equivalent (which was, again, way over the top during the first meeting he had with Merrilee). Once I got to see more about him, I actually—gasp—could see his point, and I started to root for him in a few spots.

Overall, I was left with more questions than I cared for, especially for a standalone book. There could have been a lot of potential to give me the feels, but there was too much focus on the wrong characters. As much as I wanted to like this book, this one just wasn’t for me.

This got a little too ridiculous for me! I think younger readers would enjoy it but it didn't suit my tastes as much as I hoped. I didn't finish it.

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I have to say that I am not really fan of all things romance in the YA genre. It sometimes show in my reading habits. So I am going to leave off the rating on this one. I feel like the romance being modeled off of Romeo and Juliet and later Pride and Prejudice is what threw me off.

I do have to say that boys are almost always better in books though which is why this intrigued me in the first place. If you are wanting something fun to read this would be a good rec for that.

15 year old me would have loved this book. It took a bit of getting used to at first because in the beginning it didn't seem like the main character had much depth to her. However, Merilee really grew on me and I really ended up loving it later in the book when I could recognize the parellels in Merilee's story and Romeo/Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. Cute story and one I think younger teens will enjoy.

This book is not what I thought it was and I am not interested in providing a review.

I felt this read more middle grade than YA. The main character was very immature, but if she was written as 13 instead of 15 it would have made more sense

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Interesting a book about book boyfriends!

Check out author's other books? Maybe
Recommend this book? Yes if this is your thing

Notes and Opinions: This book was very cute and by cute I mean cute cute!! It had some great writing and a pretty good plot and a great message about books! The only real issue I had with this one was that I just didn't connect with it. I thought that the characters although fully formed and workable that they just didn't mess with me well. We didn't spark. The story just didn't have enough going for it for me to die hard love it either. I think this one would work for a great spring or summer book. Read it by the beach or the pool and just read something fun.

Go Into This One Knowing: Cute story

Ahhhh Bookish Boyfriends. Where were you when I was fifteen?

Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt is a retelling of the classic Austen story Pride and Prejudice with a gentle nod to other great works of literature. Besides being a love story it is a story about great love throughout the history of novels.

Tiiffany Schmidt has captured the perfect tone for this entertaining YA novel. Her main character, Merrilee is a heroine for the feisty teen who happens to also get swept away quite easily. It is such an adventure being on her journey into the deep realms of private school as she tries (and at times, fails) to navigate the socially accepted behaviour with her clumsy and entertaining faux pas’ to keep the reader and indeed Merrilee on her toes.

Bookish Boyfriends is probably one of the better retellings of Pride and Prejudice that I have ever read. It is such a warm book that makes you less embarrassed about falling in love with fictional characters.

Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt is available now.

For more information regarding Tiffany Schmidt (@TiffanySchmidt) please visit www.TiffanySchmidr.com.

For more information regarding Abrams Kids (@abramskids) please visit www.abramsbooks,com/abramskids/.

This was really cute and I think both fans of the classic books mentioned and readers who haven't read them can still enjoy this. It had plenty of character growth, great family dynamics, and definite friendship goals. If this turned into a series where the main character of each book started living out a modern day version of a classic chosen just for them, I would definitely read it.

Let's be honest, we've all experienced heroes and heroines who grab you by the throat and just won't let go. Heroes and heroines we wish were real. Heroes and heroines that, if you found in real life, you'd grab onto and never let go. For Merrilee, it's about to become very real.

When Merri starts at a new school, she's not expecting to find a boyfriend. After all, who could measure up to the heroes in her favourite novels? But from the moment she starts reading Romeo and Juliet for her English lit class, her own life begins to reflect the text. There is something just a bit magical about her English teacher and suddenly Romeo is becoming a less and less romantic hero and more a deranged stalker. What's Merrilee to do but switch books and watch her life unfold in a new direction.

I love this book. Merrilee is an interesting heroine. Her reputation for being a dreamer hides a sharp mind and I love how much she cares about her family and friends. The unfolding of the story was just this side of magical and I loved the literary references. I look forward to the second book.

Slow, overall, but an adorable story of how boys in books effect our daily lives (well, the lives of the bibliophiles who read them. and fall in love with them).
If you've ever tried to pick your favourite Fae, or wizard, or hobbit, or classical boy too (I will go down with the Laurie and Jo ship forever!) then you know just how our MC Merrilee feels. The girl who stays up all night reading, and all day dreaming about what she read last night is just the type of girl who sees herself in everything she reads. When she starts out at a new school, her English class begins studying Romeo and Juliet. Classic romance that ends in tragedy (spoiler, sorry y'all) and Meri finds herself in a 21st Century relationship with a real life Romeo... who ends up being more of a Puck. When we turn the page, her teacher helps her find the right story for her. This leads us to Pride and Prejudice (who this reviewer will admit she can't stand so the review is a bit biased because ugh! to anything Austen) However, Schmidt does a wonderful job of weaving in real life meets book life. Loved it as a whole, but it dragged a bit in the beginning for me. Otherwise, reread worthy and recommended for anyone who has ever binged a book past their bedtime.

You know, how some books really just resonate with you? That's what this one did for me. It brought back so many familiar feelings for me, as I was also the bookish, quiet teen who just wanted her big romance to be book-worthy. I enjoyed this read not only for that reason, but also for the sweet moments and the well-written friendships. Definitely a book I would recommend to kids at the school where I work.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Bookish Boyfriends offers a modern take on classic literary romance that is funny, cute, and will be eminently relatable to many current or former teenage bookworms. (Speaking as a former teenager and lifelong bookworm myself!) 16-year-old Merrilee Cambell has two sisters, two best friends (one of whom is kind of in love with her), and lots of crushes...of the literary variety that is! This bookworm is a hopeless romantic when it comes to her books, but has never had a real-life boyfriend. But then, she starts attending a new school and everything begins to change.

Merrilee is assigned to read Romeo and Juliet in class, but when her love life begins to mirror fiction (Pride & Prejudice and Little Women make later appearances) she begins to wonder if there might be something magical about her new English Teacher. I loved it! The English teacher was king of like a less overt Mary Poppins, always carrying a subtle aura of magic and whimsey. She was a fantastic character, definitely one of my favorites.

But one of the things I love about this book is there are a lot of great characters and relationships that get surprisingly fleshed out. We get to see characters really come to life in her sisters, her parents, her friends, and her love interests. I was impressed with the depth of those relationships and intrigued to know more about the side characters. I could see this being a really fun series. I also really liked how we see Merrilee grow and learn that real-life relationships are complicated, "romance" isn't always very romantic, and people may not be what they seem at first.

This was also just such a fun book with lots of funny moments. Seeing the way key moments from classic stories play out was fun and I liked the underlying message that YOUR book might not be what you think, but the process of discovering it is important. I very much enjoyed this and the only reason it isn't 5 stars is that the beginning kind of dragged. I wish it had started with something more attention-getting, then returned to laying the groundwork. Regardless, the payoff was definitely worth it, so if you're looking for a light, entertaining read, this is a good choice. I received an e-arc of this book from Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute but it had serious and important stuff too! How often have we all read novels and got swept up in the romance wishing we were dating the hero (or heroine in my case)? Well this book takes a look at what happens if you do date the hero, from both the good and bad sides actually.

I absolutely love Merrilee and how small but strong she is, not necessarily physically but emotionally, she had the strength to realise that something wasn't right and to do what needed to be done. Monroe was a jackass who needed way more of a comeuppance. Eliza was a great friend and I felt sorry for her with her parents being constantly absent.

Toby was a sweetheart and the perfect example of how to act when you have a crush on your friend that isn't reciprocated. That is, no differently to normal and if you have that much of an issue (which Toby didn't) then break off the friendship. Fielding was an interesting character and I loved the way he developed over the course of the book.

All the characters were well-developed and I really wanted to know more about Mrs. Gregoire, did she have some kind of magical powers? The whole life imitating fiction thing was fascinating as well, I'm just gutted we didn't learn Trent and Lilly's 'bookish' story. Small plot gaps like that are what knock off half a star, it was so so close to being 5 stars and on the web where halves don't exist it'll be rounded up rather than down.

4.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I feel like the timeline of it seemed really fast though. the whole story takes place in like 3 weeks, which seems like a really short amount of time for the whole story to unfold.

I think expanding that timeline to something like 3 months may have made it all a little more realistic to me.

But nonetheless I loved the story, and I do hope there's a sequel!

Bookish Boyfriends is for anyone who has fallen hard for the boys they read about. To read such a purely fun and sweet book was a joy. Perfect for preteens and those who love a swoon worthy book boyfriend.

I recieved this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book. It has a good storyline and the writing is good, but I hated the main character and her best boyfriend. (I also hated her ex boyfriend, but I think we were supposed to hate him.) Merrilee is stubborn and whiny, and I want her to be a better person than she is. She just falls flat of my expectations of who she should be. I did love Toby and Fielding though, they were great guys, and they had good character development. The book was okay, but I expected more from it, so it was a little disappointing.