Review: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame (Jenn P. Nguyen)

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame
Author: Jenn P. Nguyen
Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Synopsis:

Taylor Simmons is screwed.

Things were hard enough when her single-minded dedication to her studies earned her the reputation of being an Ice Queen, but after getting drunk at a party and waking up next to bad boy surfer Evan McKinley, the entire school seems intent on tearing Taylor down with mockery and gossip.

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Taylor persuades Evan to pretend they’re in a serious romantic relationship. After all, it’s better to be the girl who tames the wild surfer than just another notch on his surfboard.


I loved The Way to Game the Walk of Shame from the very beginning. The whole awkward moment of waking up in an unrecognizable bed, with a half-naked guy cracked me up. I can only imagine the horror! (Thankfully, this has never happened to me!) From that point on, the story had my utmost attention. It was fresh, fun and full of self-discovery. It was exactly what I like in a YA contemporary romance.

While I loved the story, I have to admit Taylor wasn’t my favorite female character. It wasn’t her fault. She falls into my least favorite type of teenage female category: the pretentious smarter than everyone else know-it-all. Usually, this type of character really grates on me. I was impressed with how Jenn P. Nguyen wrote Taylor. She only had a few moments of being super irritating. The way the story and Evan’s character were written can be thanked for that. His influence on her character brought large sections of reprieve from the Taylor who was consumed with being perfect. I think I fell for Taylor’s character as Evan did.

Evan was my favorite character in this story. I adored him. He came across as this laid-back guy without a care, but he had some deeper issues going on. He wasn’t the slacker everyone perceived him to be. I liked that his story wasn’t just about him finding that he could be more than a womanizer, that his future came into play too.

Taylor and Evan’s relationship might have started out as a ploy to get everyone to stop gossiping about Taylor, but it was easy to see how they would fall for each other. Each moment they spent together was special and touching. There was such a nice sweetness to their relationship. It never felt fake. Although, I do have to admit I worried a lot about the true nature of their relationship being discovered. It added an intensity to the story I was expecting.

My only teeny tiny complaint about this story was the ending. I wanted a little more resolution than what I got. It was sweet but way too brief. Maybe it needed an epilogue with a look into the future. But I did love that Evan and Taylor’s memories of what happened at the part that night was included at the end. I absolutely loved those chapters. They were my favorite part, along with that first chapter.

I enjoyed The Way to Game the Walk of Shame so much that I really, really hope the author decides to make it into a series. I would love a book about Carly or Aaron or Carly and Aaron. Or even Brian or Lauren. I just want more!!!

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame is a book that all YA Contemporary Romance readers should have on their summer to-read list.

6 thoughts on “Review: The Way to Game the Walk of Shame (Jenn P. Nguyen)”

  1. Ohh great review, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this book 🙂 I think it has everything I love, well, except for the know-it-all main character, but I hope that just like you, I can get past this 🙂

    1. Thank you! I bet it won’t bother you as much as you might think. It was easy to look past. The characters’ relationship stood out way more than those moments. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!

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