Book Review: Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Brendan Halpin & Emily Franklin

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Publish Date: February 1, 2011

Paperback, 240 pages
Young Adult

My Review:
Why I read this:  I received this through Good Golly Miss Molly's tour.

How is the novel driven: Character, this is about Jenna and Jonah.

My thoughts: This is a really cute and fun book.  While somewhat predictable, the fun is still getting to the conclusion and the characters learning about themselves.  My son asked me this question this morning "I've heard that sometimes when a girl likes you, she will treat you mean, is that true?"  That question sums this book up perfectly.

Jenna and Jonah have been thrown together on their tv show for years and then into a fake relationship because it made the fans happy and drove up ratings.  But truthfully they can't stand each other, or can they?  Jenna will do anything to keep the show running and her ratings high, Jonah just wants out.  Then the unthinkable happens.  A scandal occurs and the show is toast.  Now what will Jenna and Jonah do?

I sped through this book and found it highly entertaining.  The verbal sparring between Jenna and Jonah is fun.  The agents are crazy and when Jenna and Jonah come together again to work on a project the sparks fly in good and bad ways.

The characters are well-developed and I felt like this was a fun look into the life of teenage stars.  I really enjoyed reading about Jenna and Jonah and look forward to future books by these authors.


My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:

Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers—known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.
About the Author:

Emily Franklin collaborated with Brendan Halpin for their novel The Half-Life of Planets. She has also written a dozen novels for young adults, including the Principles of Love series and The Other Half of Me, and she edited It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties. Emily's work has also appeared in The Boston Globe and national magazines. She lives in Massachusetts.

Brendan Halpin was a high school English teacher for ten years before penning his first novel. He is the author of How Ya Like Me Now and Forever Changes, as well as several novels for adults. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Emily's website 
Brendan's website  
Brendan's Twitter

FTC Information: I received this book through Good Golly Miss Molly's tour for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.