A Buzz-Worthy Review: What A Boy Wants by Nyrae Grace

What A Boy Wants 
by Nyrae Grace 
Release Date: April 6th, 2012
Format: eBook 
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance 

SUMMARY 

(from Goodreads) 

"Courtesy of watching his mom’s relationships, Sebastian Hawkins knows what girls need to do to get a guy. He has what he considers a PHD in hooking up. When he needs extra cash for a car, Sebastian starts up an online venture as The Hook-up Doctor, to anonymously help girls land the guy of their dreams. Of course, his services don’t offer a happily-ever-after guarantee. He’s seen firsthand getting together never means staying together. 

And then he falls in love… 

With the last girl he would expect…

Totally not in his game plan. 

Suddenly, Sebastian finds himself muddled in the game he’s always prided himself on. He can’t even pick up girls at parties anymore! Why would anyone want to be in love when it turns you into a stuttering, screwed-up, mess with really lame stalker tendencies? Stalking? Totally not his gig. 

But the Hook-up Doctor won’t let himself go down easily. He’s always known how to give a girl what she wants and now it’s time to figure out what a boy wants… and he definitely plans on getting it."

Read Chapter ONE on Nyrae Grace's blog right NOW!

MY REVIEW 

The first chapter of What a Boy Wants left me speechless and in complete awe.
I had never smiled and laughed so much while reading a book!
"The Hook Up Doctor???" Is this kid serious??? Yes, yes he is!

Meet Sebastian, aka "The Hook Up Docter", a smart-ass typical teen who seems to think he knows it all - but what 17 year old boy doesn't? Sebastian is arrogant, egotistical and obnoxious... but he is also smart, thoughtful and overly caring, so much so, that I was almost made to forget all of his downfalls...
And then we meet his best friend, Aspen - it turns out that Aspen is to Sebastian like "Joey is to Dawson", you know, from the show, Dawson's Creek! Lifelong friends meant to be, can it get any cuter than this?
Yes, it seems that the story was inspired by Dawson's Creek and the storyline does get a bit predictable, BUT, I loved it! Nyrae Grace's writing flows and after the brief realization, I forgot all about it and was swept away with Sebastian's point of view, his problems and responsibilities. It is truly rare to have such a fun story be told from a male's perspective. I cannot even imagine the amount of research Nyrae Grace had to go through to understand enough to create such an authentic voice for Sebastian.
 I truly liked Sebastian and Aspen's friends, Jaden and Priscilla, too. Both set of 'couples' complimented the other perfectly. We only get snippets of what Jaden and Priscilla are all about, but you can't help but be drawn to these characters.
Each friend has something that you can totally relate to! They all have such strong personalities that completely individualized them, and Nyrae Grace really knew how to balance them all out in order to create the perfect balance between them. 

I did not want this book to end. As much as I love how the conclusion was written, I wanted more! I needed to know more about all of them. And am so thrilled to find out that there is a companion novel that was just released! I can't wait to read it!  

What A Boy Wants companion novel, What A Boy Needs, has been released early!

I can't wait to get it... as much as I loved Sebastian, it's now Jaden's turn :)  

SUMMARY

(from Goodreads) 

"Jaden Sinclair knows he'll never amount to anything...so why would he deserve a girl like Priscilla Mendoza? 

Since last summer, things have been screwed up between Jaden and Pris. He knows it's his fault, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting to go a few rounds with her new boyfriend. He also knows he’s the loser his dad calls him, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting her.

After getting a huge bomb dropped on him, Jaden lashes out and lands himself in jail. Everything in his chaotic life is turned upside down and to make it worse, his mom kicks him out in order to side with his dad. Yeah, he’s totally a prize for a girl like Pris. 

Sebastian, Aspen, and Pris are all going places in their lives...and he knows he can't keep tagging along for the ride.

The group has one last chance for The Epic Adventure they've been looking for: a road trip to New York, where Jaden's friends will be going to college. Unfortunately, the more time Jaden hangs around Pris, the harder it is to keep the carefully constructed walls between them so she doesn't find out what a train wreck he really is. 

When the trip ends, Jaden has to decide if he's ready to say goodbye to his friends, and the girl he loves. He knows what he needs, but will he be man enough to go for it?"

MY THOUGHTS

I definitely want to learn more about Jaden. We don't know much about him in the first book other than him being Sebastian's best friend and that he definitely has feelings for Priscilla. It seems that Jaden may be having some problems or issues at home too, and he seems like a really good kid. He't the type of secondary character that definitely stays with you and you really can't help but want to know his story. And I am so happy that we are getting it! 

I am really looking forward to learning more about him! 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

"I am a compulsive reader and writer who loves YA fiction. 
I love nothing more than writing about young adults. There is something so fresh and fun about it. You can pretty much always find me with a book in my hand or open document in front of me. 
I live in Southern California with my husband and two children. 

Goodreads, Blog, Twitter, Barnes and Noble, Amazon