Review: That Boy by Jillian Dodd (That Boy Blog Tour)

This review is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for That Boy by Jillian Dodd. You can find out more about the tour here. I got to do a This or That interview with That Boy's main character, Jadyn, last week, which you can check out here.

Title: That Boy
Author: Jillian Dodd
Publisher: N/A
Release date: May 2011
Pages: 240
Genre: Contemporary YA; romance
Source: Received an ebook for review from the author for the blog tour - thank you!

Find out more: Amazon ; Goodreads

Goodreads description:

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.
Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth. Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heardtrouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me. And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.
One boy will give me my very first kiss. One boy will teach me to make out. One boy will take me to prom. And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him. They will both be my best friends. But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with. Only one of them is That Boy...

First sentence:

"You arrogant son of a bitch," I say.

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars


I love the idea for this book. It's the classic falling-for-the-boy-next-door story, but this time, there are two 'boys next door'. And while I was kind of wary of this book, since it's self-published and I hadn't heard anything about it, it's actually a really cute love story!

At first, That Boy was hard for me to get into, just because of the format. The paragraphs aren't indented and random words and phrases are written in bold. I found that annoying and kind of hard to read. After a while, I got used to the format, but I still don't get why it was written that way.

From the content, though, That Boy starts out great. I immediately loved Jadyn's character - she's so easy to like and relate to. Jadyn's voice is sweet. I love how she says whatever enters her mind, stuff I think, too, but would never dare to say out loud. Her humor is great and had me laughing throughout the book. One thing I thought was overdone, though, is the way Jadyn likes hanging out with Danny and Phillip so much better than hanging out with her girlfriends - she complains that her girlfriends are too obsessed with boys, when, well, she's one of the most boy-obsessed characters I've read about.

The secondary characters are great too - I could imagine both Danny and Phillip easily. They have destinct personalities, but I loved both of them, and, like Jadyn, didn't know which one she should chose - she has great chemistry with both of them. Yes, it's obvious which one she ends up, but they're just so adorable together! It's clichéd and too, well, happy to be realistic, but I really enjoyed reading the cute love story.

The plot is good. I liked seeing how Jadyn changes over the years. There's only one main storyline - Jadyn's relationship with Danny and Phillip - but there's also a few smaller storylines that were interesting to read about. At some points, though, I found myself kind of bored, and I think some parts of the book could have been shortened a bit.

No, That Boy is not perfect - I disliked the format, it's clichéd at times, and some parts are too drawn out - but it's a cute, fun love story with great humor, that should have definitely gotten more attention than it has!

This or That with Jadyn from That Boy (That Boy Blog Tour) & Giveaway

Today we have Jadyn from That Boy by Jillian Dodd here for a This or That interview and giveaway! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for That Boy. You can find out more about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops of the blog tour if you'd like to know more about That Boy!

This or That with Jadyn:

 

Summer or winter?

Can I choose both?? I live in Nebraska, and we’re lucky to have both hot summers and cold winters. I love playing around in the snow. I mean, who wouldn’t like to play strip football in the snow with Danny and Phillip? It was fun, then we’d always end up in our hot tub drinking hot chocolate and teasing each other about who won. And summers are awesome too. Late nights out drinking with friends, star gazing, going to the lake, the way the fields smell after a good rain. I really can’t choose one!

Vanilla or chocolate?

Now this one is easy. Chocolate for sure!! My favorite dessert is mint chocolate brownies. Mrs. Mac makes the best ones, but I can give her a run for her money now! I should give you the recipe sometime!! 

Cats or dogs?

Dogs for sure. We used to have a dog, Pookie, when I was growing up. She was awesome and loved to sit on my bed and keep me company.

Day or night?

Definitely night! That’s when everything good happens. My mom used to say nothing good happens after midnight, when she thought that was what my curfew should be, but I disagree. The good stuff always happens later. Kissing cute boys under the stars, hanging out with your friends. I am really not very good in the morning. 

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. I never liked it much, but out of necessity learned to drink it in college. I always tried to schedule my classes early, but sometimes the school didn’t see fit to work around my preferences. Coffee was the only thing that kept me awake. Phillip always made me and Danny coffee before he left the house in the morning. I have to add lots of sugar and flavorings to make it taste good. Basically by the time I’m done with it, it tastes a lot like hot chocolate!

Movies or TV shows?

Honestly, I like both. We watch a lot of TV, mostly for sports and things like that, but I’d probably pick movies. Phillip makes me watch action films, we both like funny movies and I make him suffer through romantic comedies. (Even though he complains about them, I’m convinced he secretly enjoys them!)

Outdoors or indoors?

I love to be outside! 

Superpower: Being invisible or being able to fly?

Hmm. That’s a good one. I think flying would be super cool. Especially if I could fly really fast. And it would be really fun if one of my friends could have that power too, so I wouldn’t be like flying around all alone. We could race and stuff!

Being in a crowd or being alone?

I love the excitement of being in a crowd. It’s funny how no matter where I am, I can always find Phillip across a crowded room. Well, except for that one night when he was making out with that girl in the frat house, and I was um, well, it’s sort of embarrassing, but you’ll find out a lot of embarrassing things about me in my next book, That Wedding. (My friends have big mouths, just saying.) Anyway, I maybe, possibly, threw up across the dance floor when I was trying to find him. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly a shining moment.

Being able to change the past or living with your mistakes?

I would change the past. Bring back my parents in a heartbeat. I miss them a lot. Especially now that I’m planning my wedding. But I have a feeling you’re talking about changing something in my past that I specifically did. In that case, yes, a couple things. I would have dumped that jerk Jake, or possibly never even dated him. I also would have slept with Phillip much, much sooner.

So I’m thrilled that you invited me to join you today! I’ve been busy lately planning my wedding. Well, sorta. Mostly I’ve been getting busy with Phillip because that’s about all that’s been on that boy’s mind lately. The wedding planning, not so much. But I’m pretty sure things with him will work out, but we did get engaged on our first date. We need to make sure things are going to work out, before we get all crazy planning a wedding, right? So I guess what I’m saying is if we do actually get married, I hope you will all come! It will for sure be a great party!

Thanks for the great answers, Jadyn!

Giveaway:

Jillian was so generous to offer an e-book copy of That Boy for one lucky winner!

This giveaway is open for two weeks, from now till October 31st. It's open worldwide.

That Boy by Jillian Dodd

(Amazon / Goodreads)

There's Danny. Danny is a golden boy in every way. He has dreamy blue eyes and blonde hair that always looks perfect, even when it’s windblown or been stuck under a football helmet. He’s the boy every girl crushes on. The boy I get into trouble with, the boy I fight with, the hot quarterback no girl can resist, not even me. Being with Danny is like being on an adventure. He has a bright, contagious smile and abs to die for. He’s pretty much irresistible.
Equally crush worthy is Phillip. Adorable, sweet Phillip, who I have known since birth. Phillip has dark hair, a perfect smile, brown eyes, and the sexiest voice I have ever heardtrouble, the boy who irritatingly keeps getting hotter, and whose strong arms always seem to find their way around me. And when he gives me that grin, I can never say no.
One boy will give me my very first kiss. One boy will teach me to make out. One boy will take me to prom. And finally, one boy will ask me to marry him. They will both be my best friends. But only one of them will be the boy I fall in love with. Only one of them is That Boy...

Please fill out this form to enter: