Synopsis Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent. Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it. But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books. Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker. Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss. One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together. Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident. A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right? This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question: What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door? —————————————————————————- My Review I didn’t realize how much my soul needed another Cookie O’Gorman YA contemporary romance until I started on page 1 of BOOKWORM. My goodness, her characters and her writing are so much fun! And, I was pleasantly surprised to find out the main characters are the offspring of some of my favorite Cookie characters! Bonus! Yes, I’m using lots of exclamation points because I just loved this story so much. I smiled constantly as I read about Charlotte-Lottie-Lotte and her family and friends. And Bo Stryker is exactly my kind of guy — hot, dark and brooding with a heart of gold (Jon Snow anyone?). Bo is a soccer phenom who lives next door to Charlotte, Lottie, Kent and they’ve been at odds with each other since Kindergarten. That doesn’t stop Lottie from watching him workout every morning from the safety of her bedroom window, though. When the girls at school make a bet to see who can land Bo first, he seeks out Lottie as his fake girlfriend to get them to back off. The only problem is, Lottie realizes she likes Bo. A lot. And the whole fake thing has the potential to turn into something real. For her at least. So she establishes ground rules: first and foremost is no kissing. Too bad, because the one and only kiss they’ve shared was out-of-this-world hot! Plot The plot was so fun. It was primarily the relationship between Bo and Lottie, but there was some subplotting around Lottie’s library fundraising event and some cute food-centered super minor subplots. There’s also Lottie’s relationship with Bo’s grandmother and a minor character arc on her part. The story moves at a typical O’Gorman pace with lots of laughs on every page. Characters The characters are always what I love best about Cookie’s books and BOOKWORM is no exception, though I think I adore Lottie the most. She’s me in teenage form. Upbeat, insecure, opinionated, bookloving, smiles all the time. I could identify with her so much. I think what I loved most about her is that she’s different than a lot of teen protagonists. She just goes with the flow and speaks her mind. It’s a rare combination that I just loved. As I mentioned above, Bo is the swooniest of swoon-worthy book boyfriends. His gruff exterior and marshmallow center were a delight to read. It was also fun to see some familiar characters as well (Ninja girl!!!). What I Loved About BOOKWORM 1. Lottie. I love her optimism, the way she handles the “bad guys”, how she’s always up for a challenge, her sense of humor. Really, I just love everything about her. She may be my favorite YA female protagonist of all time. 2. Bo. Gruff, scowly on the outside, soft as a marshmallow on the inside. Plus, those arms. 3. Books. I love how books and reading are such an integral part of the story. 4. Scarlett. Lottie’s younger sister is the yin to her yang. I sure hope she gets her own book soon (Cookie, if you’re reading this…) 5. Swoony One-Liners. Bo is a man of few words, but when he says something, it’ll make any girl’s knees weak. I mean, just his favorite flower about undid me. Bottom Line This might be O’Gorman’s best young adult book so far. At least it’s my favorite! I loved everything about it. —————————————————————————- About the Book Title: BOOKWORM Author: Cookie O’Gorman Release Date: April 20, 2023 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon IT | Amazon FR | Amazon DE | Barnes & Noble —————————————————————————- Author Cookie O’Gorman About the Author Cookie O’Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM is coming on April 20, 2023! . . . . Where to find Cookie O’Gorman Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram