Much thanks to Harper Teen and Xpresso Book Tours for sending me a copy for review and for inviting me to be a part of this tour. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own. Also, all quotes are taken from the ARC and may or may not appear in the final published copy.

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Book Details

Title: How To Speak Boy

Author: Tiana Smith

Date Published: January 7, 2020

Number of Pages: 288 pages

Publisher: Swoon Reads

📚 Series: No.
📚 Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
📚 POV: First person
📚 Cliffhanger: No

⚠ Read if: you love soft and fluffy reads.

Book Blurb

Quinn and Grayson have been fierce speech and debate rivals for years. They can’t stand one another, either in competition or in real life.

But when their AP Government teacher returns their school assignments to the wrong cubbies, they begin exchanging anonymous notes without knowing who the other is.

Despite their differences, the two come together through their letters and find themselves unknowingly falling for the competition. Before the state tournament, the two of them need to figure out what they want out of life, or risk their own future happiness. After all, what’s the point of speech and debate if you can’t say what’s in your heart?

About the Author

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Tiana Smith is a copywriter turned novelist who grew up in the Rocky Mountains. When she isn’t writing, she’s chasing after her ninja boy, reading, or binging the Disney Channel. She’d love to be fluent in sign language, but for now she gets by with awkward hand gestures and even more awkward French. She has double degrees in Honors and English from Westminster College but wants to go back to school to be a lion tamer.

Review

First off, I am very thankful for Xpresso Book Tours for allowing me to partner with them and giving me early access to this read!

How To Speak Boy is an enticing YA contemporary read about rivals-turned-lovers! The trope itself is an exciting one that would raise everyone’s interests. Competing leads with witty banter, mixed in a You’ve Got Mail type of set up. In fact, knowing that this was within students that are members of the speech and debate team reminded of me of Candy Jar, a movie that I watched on Netflix.

I was expecting lots of soft and fluff for this YA romance, and definitely, this is what I got. If you want something that is tooth-rotting adorable and sweet, try this one. How To Speak Boy is a read where you will know after the few pages that they already have feelings for each other and are in extremely deep denial. This might make you scream in frustration, but the cuteness is actually worth the wait.

The interaction within the two leads are cute and fluffy, but there’s something about the personalities of all the characters in this book that does not really stuck to me as much as I wanted to. Some scenes are a little disconnected, too, and lots of the story is too predictable.

The worst part, I realize, is that the blurb has already spoiled everything but the two characters are clueless. It would have been perfect to be as clueless as them throughout the story, for a little thrill, a la how the reveal was perfect during Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

But there’s no denying that this book is a quick read, I was able to read it for 3 to 4 hours. I recommend this read for people who love a quick read cheesy and clean romance and witty banter between two characters.

My Book Rating Breakdown

🌼 Blurb:⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Main Character:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Significant Other: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Romance: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Ending: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Unputdownability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐