The Sweetheart Sham by Danielle Ellison
Published by Entangled: Crush
Released: December 4 2017 (in the US)
ISBN: 9781640633551
Read: November 29 2017
I love it when Entangled Crush advances me a book on Netgalley. I enjoy their marketing, their covers, and their final products. It’s true the books aren’t difficult to read, and are often predictable, but who doesn’t love a great HEA? Even though the focus is on bringing the two main characters together in a sweet and young teen friendly way, authors often slip in a few issues to challenge readers. These can be social, particularly friendships or the use of technology, or environmental, like sustainable living or conservation. But most often they deal with family dramas and identity crises, which with most young readers can identify.
In The Sweetheart Sham, Ellison develops a gay character, Will. who is too scared to come out. Will is a Montgomery, and in the small Southern town of Culler, this is a very big deal. He and protagonist and best friend, Georgia Ann, watched the only out boy leave town, and Will is horribly worried his conservative grandfather will reject him. To be able to spend time with his new secret ‘mystery boy’, Will convinces Georgie to go on fake dates with him. There are valid reasons why Georgie agrees – it’s summer, the wedding of the century, run by her mother, is stressful and going off with Will gives her much needed breaks, and there isn’t anybody she wants to date.
Except Beau. But he left town two years ago, breaking Georgia’s heart. So naturally, as soon as she agrees to this set-up, Beau appears for the summer, to re-connect with his estranged father, and to secretly see if his feelings for Georgia are true. Oi Vey, what a mess!
We are given both Georgia’s and Beau’s points of view, as well as flashing back to the past, when the heartbreak occurred. They both have come through some dark times – his parent’s divorce, and her mother’s cancer, and there’s a lot they don’t know about each other. But the attraction is undeniable and their secrets could break what’s left of their friendship. This aspect of the story is well handled, and even though we wish Georgia would come clean, it’s difficult to not applaud her loyalty to Will. Beau is charming and thoughtful, Georgia is feisty and kind, and of course, Will deserves the space to reconcile his identity in his own time. Ellison deals with this very compassionately.
Ellison makes a lot of points about the dangers of keeping secrets. Will and Georgia are also keeping secrets from each other – that she is (and always has been) attracted to Beau, and Will refuses to give up the identity of ‘mystery boy’. Beau is thoroughly confused by Georgia’s mixed signals, and through all of this, wedding plans go awry and need sorting. It’s a terrific set up, and we learn lots about all of the characters, ensuring the town of Culler comes alive for readers.
Of course, at the wedding of the year, everything is resolved wonderfully. If I have one niggle, it was disappointment that there wasn’t a final scene between Will and Georgia once all the drama died down: one quiet conversation where they forgive each other, and cement their best friend status. It would have been the icing on the (wedding) cake (so to speak).
Recommended to readers who already enjoy romance novels offered by Entangled, and who like small town shenanigans. The town is filled with quirky oldies who know everything and have no hesitation in telling the young ‘uns how they should live their lives. There is very little focus on the future, which is a nice change, and all the parents are supportive and avoid stereotypes. Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy. The Sweetheart Sham will be out on December 4.
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