Borrow My Heart by Kasie West
Reviewed by Kaelin Lee, age 17
When Wren witnesses Asher being catfished by his online crush, she decides to pretend to be the girl he is waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Soon, she finds herself fake-dating Asher and maybe even falling for him, but would he forgive her for hiding her true identity?
I was anticipating a cute, lighthearted romance from this teenage love story, and author Kasie West 100% delivered on her writing. The classic fake dating trope, coupled with the black cat (Wren) meets golden retriever (Asher) trope, worked to set up heartwarming scenes between Wren and Asher that had me rooting for them with ease throughout the book. Wren brought light and happiness to Asher, who was recovering from a recent heartbreak, while Wren developed into someone more able to open up and experience affection, which was difficult given her relationship with her neglectful mother. The effects her mother left on her were explored in the book, and I deftly enjoyed digging deeper into the reasoning why Wren was the rule-bound character she was. I even wish the author had delved into even more. Instead, a big focus of the book, as well as a driving force to facilitate Asher and Wren’s bonding, was their volunteering at a dog shelter. I would be remiss to not mention that plotline, which would appeal to a lot of readers who are also dog lovers. Nevertheless, beyond all the plot and character elements that made Borrow My Heart such a delight to read, I did feel that the ending felt a little short. Something was revealed that I believe was dismissed too easily, when forgiveness should be earned.
That being said, my entire experience reading the book wasn’t soured by the ending, and I would still recommend this book to readers who adore sweet YA romance. Like me, I’m sure readers will speed through it in one sitting!
4 out of 5 stars
288 pages