Title: The Charade
Author: Judy Corry
Publication: May 17, 2021
Publisher: Cherry Blossom Romance
Genre: YA Fiction, Romance, Teens
Pages: 402
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When my math tutor made me sign a contract promising I wouldn’t fall in love with him, I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. Yes, Carter Hastings is the prince of Eden Falls Academy–one of the most beautiful humans on earth–and boy, does he know it. But I can use this to my advantage. Since I basically signed a paper saying I’d never catch feelings for him, it makes my plan even more perfect. So I offer him a a fake relationship. The arrangement helps Carter get revenge on his ex and helps me hide the fact that I’m not smart enough to be at this prestigious school. Win-win. Only, as we pretend to be in a relationship, I find out he’s different from what I expected. He’s better. So much better. And when he kissed me last night, I just wanted it to be real. But as I’m searching for a loophole in that stupid contract I signed, a huge family secret comes to light, and all the sparks I started feeling for my fake boyfriend suddenly become forbidden. I know I should walk away from him. That I should go back to keeping our tutoring sessions strictly professional . . . But I don’t want to.
REVIEW:
I was in the mood for some feel-good YA fiction romance when I stumbled across Judy Corry. I had just finished an audiobook where I enjoyed the person reading, Amy Melissa Bentley, and looked up what other books she did and here it was. She had voiced a few of my favorite books and dare I say she is my favorite audiobook narrator, so I knew I had to read it and The Charade fell into my YA fiction romance genre. I couldn’t wait.
First up, being a boarding school YA fiction is my all-time favorite so instant brownie points for Corry. These characters were easy to love and not your typical rich kid drama. The characters were written well with good personalities and not just categorized instantly by being rich and snobby like a lot of other authors do. I think Corry has found a niche in writing some enjoyable, remind you of your youth, romance between kids while adding in a good plot line that keeps the story going.
While I fell short of giving it five stars simply because the substance of the book wasn’t as much as a more in-depth mystery or other romances I have read, and a bit predictable ( I called the ending early on), this book does exactly what I was hoping it would. It entertained, and kept me “flipping pages” (audiobook, remember) wanting to know what was going to happen next, and gave us a peak at the future at the end of the book. I love knowing how people turned out! This book is part of the Eden Falls Academy series and I will be finishing the rest of it, so stay tuned for more Corry reviews coming up!
