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Description of  The Fine Art of Pretending

The Fine Art of Pretending is the story of Aly Reed, a senior at high school who has always been a tomboy. Aly decides that for her final year of high school she wants to re-invent herself so she can be a part of the popular crowd. To do this she transforms herself from the tomboy to a sexy vixen. But looking the part isn’t enough so she enlists her best friend Brandon to pretend as her boyfriend. Aly’s goal is to catch the eye of the school’s main hottie Justin but her plan takes an unexpected turn. The time she spends with Brandon, holding his hand and kissing, stirs up feelings they both are confused about. And is the “pretend breakup” worth jeopardizing their friendship? You have to read the book to find out!! The Fine Art of Pretending was a trip down memory lane for me. I was Aly in high school! I wasn’t in the popular crowd. I was shy and uncomfortable with being the center of attention. I was able to identify with Aly which is why I loved this story. I didn’t do anything drastic as Aly did but I understand her longing to be noticed and for once to be thought of us a pretty girl and not the tomboy. I relived my high school days through Aly since I wouldn’t have been brave to make the changes she did. The Fine Art of Pretending is more than a high school romance story. Aly and Brandon are going through the growing pains of being a teenager – discovering who they are and being happy with it. There is also the lesson “the grass is always greener on the other side”, which we get to see with the supporting characters Justin and Lauren. The story is predictable but it still had me laughing and crying. This is written in Aly and Brandon point-of-views which was a nice change. Reading the thoughts of both characters allowed me to connect with both of them. Rachel Harris does an amazing job of creating a story readers of all ages can enjoy. The difference with her writing is in the mature tone she expresses. This is a story with young characters but if you take their ages and high school setting away you are left with two people whose fears have been holding them back. The Fine Art of Pretending is about taking chances. Mix in some humor, heart-warming moments and young romance and you have a feel good story that I highly recommend. I can’t wait to read more from Rachel Harris!!