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How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love With You (How to Survive High School) by T.M. Franklin
mbfeeney's review against another edition
5.0
**Thank you to Netgalley and TWCS for giving me the opportunity to advance read this book***
I'm a HUGE fan of T. M. Franklin, and when this book became available on netgalley, I snapped it up! Then, I got bogged down and completely forgot about it. Until yesterday... I started it late in the evening and finished it this morning. I think, overall, it took me about 6 hours to fly through this story.
Firstly... any book where a character is called Sherlock Holmes should be read by anyone. Especially a Sherlock as precocious as this one. Secondly, being given the opportunity to get inside the head of a teenage boy is one any woman has to take, regardless of her age.
Oliver... he's got his entire life planned (and the lists to prove it). He knows where he's going to college, he knows what he's going to study, and he knows that he wants Ainsley Bishop. Problem... She has a boyfriend. Does he back away? No, with the help of Viney, he's going to make her realise he's the boy for her. What follows is a funny (yes, I laughed out loud - earning me strange looks from the family) and sweet story about love and trying to get the girl to notice you.
Oliver comes across as a genuinely nice kid, but isn't annoyingly so. He's a real character who doesn't particularly like to piss people off (except Nathan - believe me, the craiglist scene is sheer brilliance). Viney, his best friend, tries to get him to be a little more vindictive, but it never really works. I have to say, the secondary characters in this book are brilliant, and Oliver's relationships with them come through the words as extremely real! I particularly loved the realtionships with Viney and Hank. They are polar opposites, but they show all sides to Oliver which is great to see.
Ainsley herself is a very relateable character. She's flawed and has problems that we learn about gradually. At the beginning of the book, she's high on a pedestal (we've all done it with the objects of our crushes), but as the story moves along, she becomes a real person as we sympathise with her and cheer for her as she makes particular choices in life.
Once again, T. M. franklin has sucked me in. I adore her books, yet I did have one niggly problem... As I read this book, I kept expecting a hint of supernatural or paranormal to hit me as all of her other books have this element. But no, as she said to me herself (and this is a direct quote) "the only magic in this one is luuuurve..." Which is not a bad thing, believe me!
Roll on 12 June, so I can get this in Paperback!
I'm a HUGE fan of T. M. Franklin, and when this book became available on netgalley, I snapped it up! Then, I got bogged down and completely forgot about it. Until yesterday... I started it late in the evening and finished it this morning. I think, overall, it took me about 6 hours to fly through this story.
Firstly... any book where a character is called Sherlock Holmes should be read by anyone. Especially a Sherlock as precocious as this one. Secondly, being given the opportunity to get inside the head of a teenage boy is one any woman has to take, regardless of her age.
Oliver... he's got his entire life planned (and the lists to prove it). He knows where he's going to college, he knows what he's going to study, and he knows that he wants Ainsley Bishop. Problem... She has a boyfriend. Does he back away? No, with the help of Viney, he's going to make her realise he's the boy for her. What follows is a funny (yes, I laughed out loud - earning me strange looks from the family) and sweet story about love and trying to get the girl to notice you.
Oliver comes across as a genuinely nice kid, but isn't annoyingly so. He's a real character who doesn't particularly like to piss people off (except Nathan - believe me, the craiglist scene is sheer brilliance). Viney, his best friend, tries to get him to be a little more vindictive, but it never really works. I have to say, the secondary characters in this book are brilliant, and Oliver's relationships with them come through the words as extremely real! I particularly loved the realtionships with Viney and Hank. They are polar opposites, but they show all sides to Oliver which is great to see.
Ainsley herself is a very relateable character. She's flawed and has problems that we learn about gradually. At the beginning of the book, she's high on a pedestal (we've all done it with the objects of our crushes), but as the story moves along, she becomes a real person as we sympathise with her and cheer for her as she makes particular choices in life.
Once again, T. M. franklin has sucked me in. I adore her books, yet I did have one niggly problem... As I read this book, I kept expecting a hint of supernatural or paranormal to hit me as all of her other books have this element. But no, as she said to me herself (and this is a direct quote) "the only magic in this one is luuuurve..." Which is not a bad thing, believe me!
Roll on 12 June, so I can get this in Paperback!
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
4.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You was exactly what I was expecting it to be - a light, sweet YA romance that hit all the right notes. Since I really enjoyed Franklin's other books (the first two books in the MORE series), I was eager to get my hands on this one. I wasn't disappointed!
The synopsis describes the book pretty well, so I'll just get right to my review.
What I loved:
Oliver's lists.
I really loved the concept of Oliver's lists. He had a list for everything with a step-by-step checklist to help him accomplish his goals. And they work for him. I've gotta say that even his list for Ainsley was pretty spot-on. With great advice like "Make her feel secure and important," "Pay attention" and "Admit when you're wrong," he's got a solid foundation for a good relationship. I mean, what girl doesn't want someone to treat them like they're important and pay attention to them? I was really glad that his list wasn't all silly little things to get her attention (though there were a couple of those too!).
The gifts.
The best thing about this book was the many gifts that Oliver bought for Ainsley while he was trying to come up with the perfect birthday present. In order to come up with gift ideas, he had to get to know her better (and write another list!) - this prompted him to really try to understand Ainsley in a way that no one had understood her before. Ainsley spent her life pleasing other people and Oliver was the first person to really put effort into finding out what she wanted. Because of this, a really sweet friendship developed between the two, and I was completely rooting for them as a couple!
The play.
Part of the book revolves around a play that Ainsley has written for her drama class. It's horrible - so horrible that it's hilarious. I loved the concept of the play (a girl joins the football team to get the attention of the quarterback) and how they adjusted it to make it into something great!
The male perspective.
You don't see too many YA romances written from a male POV. I think Franklin did a great job at writing a somewhat geeky teen boy's perspective!
The negatives:
Nothing groundbreaking.
This isn't the type of book that you read if you're looking for something completely unique or incredibly impacting. It's just not that sort of book. We've all read something similar to this before, but Franklin does manage to give the story her own fun twist and make it stand out from the crowd.
How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You is the perfect summer YA read. Pick it up if you're looking for something funny and sweet. You won't be disappointed! I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***
How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You was exactly what I was expecting it to be - a light, sweet YA romance that hit all the right notes. Since I really enjoyed Franklin's other books (the first two books in the MORE series), I was eager to get my hands on this one. I wasn't disappointed!
The synopsis describes the book pretty well, so I'll just get right to my review.
What I loved:
Oliver's lists.
I really loved the concept of Oliver's lists. He had a list for everything with a step-by-step checklist to help him accomplish his goals. And they work for him. I've gotta say that even his list for Ainsley was pretty spot-on. With great advice like "Make her feel secure and important," "Pay attention" and "Admit when you're wrong," he's got a solid foundation for a good relationship. I mean, what girl doesn't want someone to treat them like they're important and pay attention to them? I was really glad that his list wasn't all silly little things to get her attention (though there were a couple of those too!).
The gifts.
The best thing about this book was the many gifts that Oliver bought for Ainsley while he was trying to come up with the perfect birthday present. In order to come up with gift ideas, he had to get to know her better (and write another list!) - this prompted him to really try to understand Ainsley in a way that no one had understood her before. Ainsley spent her life pleasing other people and Oliver was the first person to really put effort into finding out what she wanted. Because of this, a really sweet friendship developed between the two, and I was completely rooting for them as a couple!
The play.
Part of the book revolves around a play that Ainsley has written for her drama class. It's horrible - so horrible that it's hilarious. I loved the concept of the play (a girl joins the football team to get the attention of the quarterback) and how they adjusted it to make it into something great!
The male perspective.
You don't see too many YA romances written from a male POV. I think Franklin did a great job at writing a somewhat geeky teen boy's perspective!
The negatives:
Nothing groundbreaking.
This isn't the type of book that you read if you're looking for something completely unique or incredibly impacting. It's just not that sort of book. We've all read something similar to this before, but Franklin does manage to give the story her own fun twist and make it stand out from the crowd.
How to Get Ainsley Bishop to Fall in Love with You is the perfect summer YA read. Pick it up if you're looking for something funny and sweet. You won't be disappointed! I give it 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***
jennfgarcia's review against another edition
5.0
This book totally attracted me right from the start with its amazing cover and engaging trailer. But it's really what's inside the book that matters, right? T.M. Franklin has amazing skills and she filled in the amazing cover perfectly.
Go to my blog for the rest of the review ... Italian Brat's Obsession
Go to my blog for the rest of the review ... Italian Brat's Obsession
nadiareadsstuff's review against another edition
5.0
SUCH a good book! Perfect YA is perfect :) I love Oliver and probably would've been the girl to have a crush on HIM lol.
essbee's review against another edition
4.0
When I finished this book I had a huge smile on my face. I'm 30 something but still remember my first crush at school and this brought back lots of nice memories. I wonder if the main character has aspies with his lists? I'm not afraid to admit a tear or two was shed also. Lovely book.
stephan90's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mslizabeth's review against another edition
5.0
I had the pleasure of an advanced copy of How To Get Ainsley Bishop To Fall In Love With You, I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. It is the epitome of everything that I fell in love with when I first started reading young adult fiction. I feel like Ainsley is one of those books that I will purchase and put up on the shelf to pass to my own girls. T.M. Franklin has such a gifted voice; she can take you from laughter to tears to laughing so hard you’re nearly crying.
Oliver is known for his lists from everything on how to get into MIT to the infamous list about getting Ainsley for his own. Oliver is just this quirky, funny who not only is smart, but loves fiercely in all aspects of his life. He’s just a good guy, without it being so obnoxious or cliche that it feels like he can’t be real. Ainsley is just as charming as Oliver, getting to know her through Oliver’s eyes was a lot of fun. Even in the moments that she made the wrong choices I wanted to stick with her.
I don’t want to spoil the book, because it’s so worth reading and discovering for yourself, but watching this young love story play out was absolutely enchanting. What I will say is I feel like often times authors use unimportant characters you’ll never remember again to help with plot devices and filler. T.M. Franklin doesn’t do that at any point in this book, every character you meet is unique and has a purpose in this story. The secondary story lines with Oliver’s parents and his friendship with Hank. They all hit that right note of touching, but realistic.
This book is an absolute joy and you will enjoy every minute of the ride with Oliver and Ainsley.
Oliver is known for his lists from everything on how to get into MIT to the infamous list about getting Ainsley for his own. Oliver is just this quirky, funny who not only is smart, but loves fiercely in all aspects of his life. He’s just a good guy, without it being so obnoxious or cliche that it feels like he can’t be real. Ainsley is just as charming as Oliver, getting to know her through Oliver’s eyes was a lot of fun. Even in the moments that she made the wrong choices I wanted to stick with her.
I don’t want to spoil the book, because it’s so worth reading and discovering for yourself, but watching this young love story play out was absolutely enchanting. What I will say is I feel like often times authors use unimportant characters you’ll never remember again to help with plot devices and filler. T.M. Franklin doesn’t do that at any point in this book, every character you meet is unique and has a purpose in this story. The secondary story lines with Oliver’s parents and his friendship with Hank. They all hit that right note of touching, but realistic.
This book is an absolute joy and you will enjoy every minute of the ride with Oliver and Ainsley.
oliviaoverthinkseverything's review against another edition
5.0
This book is great! I laughed. I cried. I gave repeated thanks to God that I am past puberty. I don't usually read YA, but this book is great. I would recommend to anyone looking for a light, fun read.
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