The Bad Boy and the Tomboy - Review

The Bad Boy and the Tomboy

By: Nicole Nwosu

Publication: October 20th 2020 by Wattpad Books

360 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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Goodreads description--Some love stories begin in all the wrong ways.

Always comfortable being one of the guys, Macy Anderson is laser focused on only three things: studies, soccer, and a scholarship. Romance is the last thing on Macy’s mind, until Cedric Cahill ― the one boy she’s ever crushed on ― asks her out on a date.

Handsome and charismatic, Cedric’s everything Macy has ever wanted in a boyfriend. There’s just one problem: Cedric’s cousin Sam. Brazen and unapologetic with a bad-boy reputation to match, Sam has an annoying way of constantly showing up in Macy’s life. Something crackles beneath their “just friends” relationship, and soon Macy’s thinking about him in all the ways she shouldn’t ― pushing things too far when she’s around him.

As the tension between them escalates, Macy needs to decide if it’s worth risking both a friendship and a relationship to find out where her heart’s loyalties truly lie. Especially when the truth behind Sam’s bad-boy demeanor changes everything between them forever.

I don't typically like love triangle books. I abhor cheating stories. I do tend to enjoy stories about characters who grow and move from one relationship to a different one that fits them better. So that's kind of the background of my typical reactions to stories that have these components.

I've mentioned in another review recently how I've been creating assumptions based upon book descriptions that have been turning out quite inaccurate. In the case of The Bad Boy and the Tomboy, the description was right on, but I was surprised by how much of the story was taken up by Macy and Cedric being together given the indications in the description that Macy would end up with Sam. I truly felt like more could have been done to set up Macy and Sam's relationship build besides him flirting and her deflecting. It felt a little jarring to me how she went from being about Cedric to realizing she has a crush on Sam.

I cannot and will not ever support characters who choose to cheat. I was so disappointed with these two, especially given that Sam and Cedric are cousins. I realize that they have never had a great relationship, but sheesh. And not just that, how far Macy and Sam went in their physical relationship without considering Cedric. The ignorance and willful disregard for thought of the future was just beyond me.

Throughout the entire book, I felt like The Bad Boy and the Tomboy could have used a little more editing. Maybe my egalley version is to blame for not being formatted 100% correctly, but I couldn't really tell when section breaks should be except that all of a sudden the subject changed. I found a couple of grammatical errors. And I also felt like there was a couple of times when I must have missed some information only to backtrack and not be able to find where I must have skipped anything. More editing and polishing could have made this book even better.

I know this review comes off as a bit negative, but overall, I actually enjoyed this story. I was intrigued by the family dynamics between Cedric and Sam and their other family members. I appreciate books where a character outgrows a relationship and chooses to move on to a different relationship that better fits them. But I don't enjoy stories about cheating in any way. So The Bad Boy and the Tomboy had pieces that I liked and didn't like. Overall, I'll rate this book as 3.5 Stars. Have you read The Bad Boy and the Tomboy? What did you think? Let me know!