Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Pages: 240
Source: Copy for Review

Rating: 4.5 stars

Fans of romance don't need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers—known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it's their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can't stand to be in the same room. Still, it's a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It's not until they're far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there's more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance is a fun, enticing read by a dynamic duo who I hope to see many more novels come from! I enjoyed Franklin and Halpin's other novel they wrote together, The Half-Life of Planets, but found myself loving Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance even more! I dived in to the story and didn't want to put it down until I finished the last page.

I really enjoyed the plot. It sounds a bit cliched and what you would expect, but it was just so fun to see what would happen to Charlier and Fielding. While the overlying plot arc was fairly predictable, all the steps in between were not easily guessed and seeing how they panned out was one of my favorite parts of the book. The ending of the novel was not what I was expecting. I absolutely love how the story is told in alternating points of view, I loved getting inside both Charlie and Fielding's head.

The characters were all really well written! I loved Al, who only appears towards the end of the book, but he really just felt like your grandpa. He was just such a heart warming character with his stories and advice. Charlie and Fielding were both really well developed characters, and the alternating point of views really strengthened both characters I think. I found them both more and more appealing as characters the more I read from both their own and the opposite's point of view.

I would definitely recommend Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance! It is cute and a ton of fun to read. I can't wait to see what Franklin and Halpin come up with next, whatever it is, I will be on board and waiting for it to come out! Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance is a book that will not disapoint, and will leave readers simply wanting more.