JENNA & JONAH’S FAUXMANCE by Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin
Publication Date: February 1st 2011 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Rating: 
Summary: Fans of romance don’t need to look any further than the fauxmance brewing between teen idols Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers—known on their hit TV show as Jenna and Jonah, next-door neighbors flush with the excitement of first love. But it’s their off-screen relationship that has helped cement their fame, as passionate fans follow their every PDA. They grace the covers of magazines week after week. Their fan club has chapters all over the country. The only problem is their off-screen romance is one big publicity stunt, and Charlie and Fielding can’t stand to be in the same room. Still, it’s a great gig, so even when the cameras stop rolling, the show must go on, and on, and on. . . . Until the pesky paparazzi blow their cover, and Charlie and Fielding must disappear to weather the media storm. It’s not until they’re far off the grid of the Hollywood circuit that they realize that there’s more to each of them than shiny hair and a winning smile.
Review Overview:
- Fun, fluffy romance with decent chemistry
- Loved the references to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
Fauxmance: When celebrities pretend to be romantically involved in order to obtain press coverage. (Source). Charlie and Fielding are the leading stars of the hit television show, Jenna & Jonah: How to be Rockstars. For the last four years of their lives, they have been pretending to be a couple on set and off set. Problem is, they really can’t stand each other. In this funny novel, Charlie and Fielding finally learn that there is much more to their relationship than they originally thought.
This book has been staring at me for a while from my shelves and last night, I decided that it was time for me to pick it up. As expected, it was a fun and fluffy read. I did laugh and giggle throughout the book mostly from Fielding’s witty lines. I think the alternating perspectives did work wonderfully in this book. Overall, I didn’t end up preferring one character of the other since both are very well written and the characters are likeable in their own way. JENNA & JONAH is a very quick read. It only took me more or less three hours to read.
The chemistry between Charlie and Fielding was enjoyable but I felt like there could have been more. However, it was enough to satisfy my romance fix for the moment.
Kudos to the authors. For those who are not familiar with Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, you might miss the reference to the play that ends up pivotal to the end of this novel. The reference actually made me laugh out loud because there really are a lot of similarities between Charlie/Fielding and Beatrice/Benedick.
I think fans of High School Musical and Glee would really enjoy this book. Those who want a light, fluffy read would probably enjoy this as well.
I LOVE Much Ado About Nothing. I just need to find the time to read this, since it’s been sitting on my shelves.
Sometimes it’s nice to have a fluffy, light read. Sounds like this book fits that. Thanks for the review.
Aimee