Since when did Fabio not get the girl?GraceFabio’s always been there for me. No matter what. Now I’m a senior, still dateless and never-been-kissed. But he doesn’t seem to mind. Me spending the summer away, teaching English in China doesn’t have to change our friendship. But his unrequited feelings for me might.FabioI’m named after the world’s most popular romance cover model, but I can’t get my … might.
Fabio
I’m named after the world’s most popular romance cover model, but I can’t get my best friend to fall in love with me. Video game binges and Harry Potter movie marathons might be fun, but to get out of the friend zone, I have to do something BIG.
Confessing my feelings for her in the airport terminal was not what I had planned.
And from the look on Grace’s face, I don’t know if we’ll ever recover.
Can their friendship survive his true feelings and grow into something more? Or, for the first time in history, will Fabio not get the girl?
Start reading Sincerely Unrequited today for a story that will leave you smiling and believing in best friends to lovers. This young adult contemporary romance filled with pop culture and nostalgia will make you laugh out loud. Grab Kelsie Stelting’s latest installment in The Warr Acres High today!
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G-rated, YA, multicultural romance
This book was previously titled, Fabio vs. the Friend Zone. It is sold as a standalone title on Amazon, and it also appears as Sincerely Unrequited in the complete collection of the Warr Acres High trilogy, which is sold as the boxset, Sincerely Pen Pals.
This novel is a young adult, G-rated, multicultural romance with some light overtones of Christian fiction, since Grace’s family is Christian, and there are multiple scenes which portray the whole family praying together.
Fabio and Grace are 18-year-old, recent, high-school graduates who have been best friends since sixth grade. Grace is Chinese-American, and Fabio is Euro-American. He has been raised by his maternal grandparents since his mother did not tell her parents who his birth father is before she died in childbirth.
Early in the story, Grace gets the opportunity to go to China for a month during the summer break before Fabio and she head off to the same college together. In China, Grace will be working with preschool children in an orphanage as part of an unpaid internship which will augment her career goal of becoming an elementary teacher.
Fabio is a skilled gamer whose immediate goal is to win an upcoming, very consequential, gaming contest. First place brings with it an internship with the game-development company he most desires to work for eventually.
At the airport, just as Grace is about to enter the security line to board her plane for China, Fabio belatedly screws up his courage to make a confession of something he has felt for the entire six years they have been friends. He yells across the airport that he loves her.
Grace is in complete shock. Initially she has the classic reaction inevitably found in every “best friends become lovers” romance plot. She is convinced that she can never see Fabio as anything but a platonic friend, and is afraid that rejecting him romantically will destroy their friendship.
This is a fun, quick read with moments of laughter and sadness. Grace is a sympathetic protagonist who is a strong role model for young girls who might read this book. The scenes with Grace’s family, especially her quirky grandmother, also add a great deal to the story.
Fabio is a very sensitive, metrosexual guy who is a pleasant change from the over-abundance of alpha-male athletes in YA and adult romance. I especially appreciated experiencing his loving and supportive relationship with his lovable grandparents.
There are actually quite a few senior citizens in this story, and they contribute an adorably kooky dimension to the novel that is quite unusual for YA fiction. In addition to Grace’s grandmother and Fabio’s grandparents, his grandmother has three eccentric, female friends who are extremely fond of Fabio, and he demonstrates unashamedly that he feels the same about them.
Last but not least, the multicultural aspect of this novel adds a unique element to a classic romance plot, and descriptions of Grace’s experiences in China are quite fascinating.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Multicultural Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
First off, I loved Dear Adam which is the first book in the Pen Pal series. So I was really excited to read this one next. What I wasn’t expecting was for this book to have references to fandoms and video games. I absolutely love that. I haven’t seen it done much in YA and I’m totally pleased with that and I think many others will be too.
This story follows Fabio and Grace. Fabio has loved Grace since he meet her and she gave him Hello Kitty tissues. How cute is that? But he can’t seem to get the girl. When Grace is fitting to get on a plane to China for a church mission trip, he yells to her right then and there that he loves her. But how will Grace handle this? They’ve been friends forever. That’s all it was right? Or could it be more?
I loved this book so much. Like seriously. And the ending!!! *sigh* This is definitely a five-star in my book. Totally. The story was put together so well and the characters were so relatable and real. I definitely do not have a complaint about this book. READ IT! Lol!
Content: (This section is NOT supposed to offend the reader or author. Just a warning for readers and parents.)
Grace and her family are catholic. One badass, One hell.
“She even told me when she got her period. Of course, I’d been grossed out, but that wasn’t the point. If she could tell me about blood spewing from her lady bits,”
I purchased a copy of this ebook with my own money. 🙂
The first book in this series, Dear Adam, hit some serious subjects, so I was curious to see what Fabio vs. the Friend Zone would be like. I noticed that this one was more lighthearted than this author’s other books, but still just as good. Fabio and Grace are characters we get a little glimpse of in Dear Adam, so I was definitely excited to see how this would continue.
Fabio and Grace are both done with high school and will head to college together in the Fall. But first Grace will be heading to China for a month to help at an orphanage. Not only that, she’ll be able to explore her own roots. It’s clear from the start it’s going to be hard on these best friends to be away from each other for a whole month.
I had to laugh when I read that Fabio was named after the character in all the romance books. Then again, I thought it was sweet, because his mother and grandmother both really have a love for reading. Fabio is definitely more of the nerdy type. He loves gaming (is even trying to get an internship by entering a gaming contest) and takes it pretty seriously. His only secret is that he’s been in love with his best friend for years.
Grace is a smart girl and while she is looking forward to her month in China, she knows she’s going to miss a lot. I loved Grace’s family, especially her grandmother! I loved reading about Grace being in China, because it was the first time that she was really on her own. Not with her parents or even Fabio. She falls in love with it even more than she realizes she will and that puts her in a difficult spot. Does she choose herself or her best friend?
The romance in this book is so sweet. Best friends to lovers is my favorite trope to read about and Kelsie did it here so well. I liked that it wasn’t all perfect and that many moments were pretty awkward. That’s real life, so it was nice to see that in a story! I think it shows how hard it is to fall in love with your best friend as well. One side of you wants to be with that person forever, but what if it doesn’t work out? You lose your favorite person! I loved Fabio trying his hardest to show her what he’s really working toward and proving how much he likes her.
Fabio vs. the Friend Zone really describes the way your life changes between high school and college. Decisions become harder and sometimes bigger than the ones you’ve had to make before. Family and friends are important to have to support you along the way. And I loved that Kelsie made it clear that these characters really wanted to follow their dreams.
On top of all that, we get to read about characters from Dear Adam. They are a great group of friends. Add the references to tons of fun pop culture and I was sold. Fabio vs. the Friend Zone is such a sweet book that really will leave a smile on your face! I was excited to see that there will be another book in this series. I can’t wait to read the next installment!
Totally enjoyed getting to know Fabio and Grace better. And Fabios relationship with his Grandparents was awesome to discover. Even though this is a series book, you can read without knowing any back story. I recommend Fabio vs. The Friend Zone if you like clean first love stories.