Hayden Vargas agrees to teach seduction lessons to some underclassman in this surprisingly serious young adult romance.

I’m disappointed – I expected more rom-com in this title. The cover and synopsis make it seem like a fun and flirty romance, not a drama. It’s also told from four narrators. The narrative felt disjointed and slow as it moved from one character to the next. Scenes are told from multiple perspectives, bogging it down in too many details to make an impactful story.

The characters and romances could have saved the story for me. Alas, I found all of them tedious and boring. Hayden, in particular, didn’t get nearly enough character-development. I couldn’t tell you her sexual experience beyond kissing Beau in the 8th Grade. Perhaps she is experienced, perhaps not, but it should have been more apparent to the reader if not the other main characters. The entire premise is built on her supposed sexuality, it seems off for the book not to go into those details.

tl;dr Too little rom-com and one-dimensional characters kept me from enjoying this fun premise.

I was happy that this book featured a strong, feminist who, though raised in less than ideal circumstances, passed on her knowledge and strength to other girls. While this was a positive, I wasn't blown away by writing style, nor was I impressed by the development of Emmaline and Beau's relationship; for a girl who hired someone for kissing lessons and a guy who wanted to prove he wasn't just using her, their first romantic encounter was a bit much.