Seventeen-year-old Sadie is tired of being a good girl.Her Career Aptitude Test results say she’s ideally suited for a career in the clergy (aka a nun), and on top of that, she receives yet another rejection. An aspiring dancer/choreographer, Sadie dreams of being featured on Dancer’s Edge—but they say she’s too sweet, needs more life experience. Her BFF, Kyle, and her oldest friend, 79-year-old … 79-year-old Betty, agree: Sadie is in desperate need of a life makeover.
But she’ll need a coach.
Sadie doesn’t lie, cheat or steal–heck she doesn’t even curse (part of the reason she hasn’t checked off anything on her “Carpe Diem List”). Sadie doesn’t know the first thing about being bad. But Kyle’s twin brother, Colton, does. And he’s willing to teach Sadie on one condition: she has to do everything he says for the next month.
A dazzling first kiss, two smokin’ hot brothers and a bet that changes everything. In this enemies-to-more YA romance, Sadie learns:
Breaking the rules can be fun—especially when it leads to happily-ever-after.
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Disclaimer: This review MAY contain spoilers.
I don’t think that there are adequate words to express how much I loved this book. I was completely enamored with it from start to finish. I read this in a single sitting. I just couldn’t step away for a moment.
The plot of the story was so energizing. I was metaphorically sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time waiting for what would happen next. The story was interesting, compelling, and absolutely filled with feel-good moments. I loved the whole premise and the way that things worked out in the end.
The characters really drew me into the story. They were so easy to like. They felt very real and I loved living through them within the pages. Colton was the perfect caring bad boy. A book boyfriend after my own heart. I immediately liked him. He comes off as an arrogant bundle of trouble, but not in a way that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. More like he was just confident and sure of himself in a playful way. Underneath everything, he was caring and loyal. I loved the side characters as well. They all added something to the story.
Friendship had great representation in this book, in my opinion. I loved Kyle and Sadie’s friendship. You could tell that they were completely comfortable with each other and were loyal to the other. They had fun together and told each other their darkest secrets. I also greatly enjoyed Sadie’s friendship with Betty. Not many teenagers would feel comfortable being friends with elderly people and it warmed my heart.
The warm and open relationship that Sadie had with her mother was great to see. Her parents were not together but they still worked together since they shared a dance studio. Her dad was present, though she lived with her mother. Sadie and her mom had such a great bond. The trust that her mother had for her was beautiful. I actually laughed out loud a bit during a scene when Sadie does something “bad” and then calls her mom to tell her about it. It was so perfect and such a Sadie thing to do.
This book is a perfect example of how tropes can be written well. There are many housed within the pages of this story, but they didn’t even really occur to me until I started to contemplate writing this review. The story was so well written that they don’t even really come to mind while you are reading the story. They were actually quite enjoyable.
The romance was just the type of enemies-to-lovers story that I love. I loved that there was angst, but you could tell that there was emotion behind everything that the characters did for one another. They obviously cared about each other even though they have known each other since they were children and haven’t ever really gotten along. The chemistry between Sadie and Colton was so explosive. Absolutely swoon-worthy chemistry, people. I couldn’t get enough of the dialogue between Colton and Sadie.
Overall, I couldn’t have been more pleased with this book if I wanted to be! I devoured this book and I can guarantee that I will read this one again. It’s that kind of book. It’s definitely going on the reread shelf. This really is such a perfect YA love story.
The latest release from one of my favorite authors does not disappoint! Sadie has been in love with her gay BFF, Kyle, since forever, so her list of naughty things she’s done is so short, it doesn’t even have one thing on it. After taking an aptitude test that showed she’d be awesome at being a nun, Sadie decides to live a little before high school graduation. She makes a carpe diem list that includes things like parties, a piercing, a tattoo, pulling a prank, and lots and lots of kissing. Considering the guy she wants to kiss most in the world is off limits, she reluctantly agrees to let Kyle’s equally hot, but utterly annoying, identical twin brother, Colton, be her bad girl coach. Colton has two rules though – Sadie has to do what he says, no questions asked, and she absolutely, positively cannot fall for him. Since Sadie loathes Colton and always has, this is a slam dunk. Right?
Plot
The main plot is the romance between Colton Freakin’ Bishop and Sister Sadie Day, but completing Sadie’s carpe diem list is nearly an equal subplot. The push and pull of Colton and Sadie is the kind that makes you laugh and want to keep turning the pages, as only O’Gorman can. The pacing is perfect, with lots of humor in the mix. While the reader may understand exactly what Colton is feeling, Sadie’s inability to see it for what it is drives some of the best moments in the story. It’s a sweet, angsty romance with seriously one of the all-time hottest kisses in the history of young adult romance!
Characters
These are among my favorite of O’Gorman’s characters. Sadie is sweet, funny, confident, but with a streak of typical teenage insecurity that makes her easy to identify with. Colton and Kyle couldn’t be more opposite, but they’re both lovable in their own unique ways. Just like Sadie, there were times I wanted to punch Colton moments after I swooned over him. He’s complex and perfect for Sadie. We also get cameos by returning favorite, like Ash and Snow as well as Becks and Sally. And Sadie’s mom is perfect. She is the Lorelei to Sadie’s Rory.
What I Loved About THE GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO BEING BAD
1. Sadie. She’s adorable as the girl who doesn’t like to swear, would rather be comfortable than fashionable, loves ballroom dancing, and has a list of bad things to do. I love that she never felt like she needed to change who she was.
2. Colton. He’s a bad boy who is easy to love. He likes to pretend he’s a total player, but I had him figured out pretty early on.
3. Complicated Relationships. Sadie had one of the more interesting parental relationships I’ve read in a long time with her cool mom and serial-cheating father co-owning a dance studio.
4. Betty. As one of Sadie’s older friends, retirement home Betty has some of the best lines.
5. Kyle. He’s the BFF every girl deserves.
Bottom Line
A wonderful young adult contemporary with some of the best characters I’ve read in a long while.
Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book!
I loved this story. There’s nothing like a genuine heartfelt story. It had all those feelings that I’ve grown to love — the first realizing that maybe you’ve been crushing on the wrong guy all along.
Sadie is the good girl; she never really strays from the good side. She doesn’t even cuss, she’s never defied her parents. But that’s where the list begins, it’s essential to open herself up to take on the challenge. So she knows what it feels like, to explore and experience all those things she’s missed. That’s where Colton jumps in. But that’s all your going to get from me.
All the books that I’ve read of O’Gorman’s I’ve loved. It has that innocence, those first-time experiences you only got to feel as a teenager. She hits it right on the head. I laughed. I smiled and teared up in quite a few parts. It wasn’t overly cheesy or overly angsty. It was just right. The writing style gets better and better. I’ll probably gobble up every book she ever writes.
Overall, Five Boundless Stars
This book reminded me of Molly E. Lee’s and Maggie Dallen’s work and I really, really like their work! It was fun to see characters from Ninja Girl make a reappearance. I loved this story. (Not for all audiences as there is some swearing and a suggestive scene (but no sex)). Definitely written with a teen audience in mind, but fun for older audiences too. It was fast-paced and fun and the twins were such great characters! I could totally see myself as being a lot like Sadie. I think this newest work from this relatively new author will be very successful and I highly recommend it. Well done!
5 Cranky Stars
Sadie lives life like she was born 80. She loves ballroom dance, doesn’t swear, and is hopelessly in love with her best friend Kyle. The fact that he’s gay just makes it unrequited but her heart is set…. she thinks. So when her Carpe Diem list lands in the wrong hands Sadie can’t stop the blush forming on her face.
Colten Freaking Bishop, Kyle’s twin and the bane of her existence, decides to help “Sister Sadie” complete her Carpe Diem list. While Sadie is mortified she decides he’s the best man for the job as long as they don’t kill each other first.
I loved this sweet and funny book. The characters are so well developed that I feel like we’re family. Even the secondary characters are fabulous. This author did an amazing job of writing a story that was fun to read and touched base on some very real topics affecting our kids these days. I look forward to reading more… maybe Kyle’s story.