My Fair Brady by Brian D. Kennedy Series: Standalone
Published by Balzer + Bray on 2024 March 14
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 10
Format: Audiobook
Source: Borrowed from Public Library
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
My Fair Lady meets the classic teen film She's All That in this charming and swoony new rom-com from Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country. Perfect for fans of What If It's Us and She Gets the Girl.
Wade Westmore is used to being in the spotlight. So when he’s passed over for the lead in the spring musical, it comes as a major blow—especially when the role goes to his ex-boyfriend, Reese, who dumped him for being too self-involved.
Shy sophomore Elijah Brady is used to being overlooked. Forget not knowing his name—most of his classmates don’t even know he exists. So when he joins the stage crew for the musical, he seems destined to blend into the scenery.When the two have a disastrous backstage run-in, Elijah proposes an arrangement that could solve both boys’ problems: If Wade teaches Elijah how to be popular, Wade can prove that he cares about more than just himself. Seeing a chance to win Reese back, Wade dives headfirst into helping Elijah become the new and improved “Brady.”
Soon their plan puts Brady center stage—and he’s a surprising smash hit. So why is Wade suddenly less worried about winning over his ex and more worried about losing Elijah?
I did not expect that I would enjoy a book that involves theatre and all its nitty-gritty details but after finishing My Fair Brady, I just had to declare to myself that there is always a first time. To say that I enjoyed this book would be an understatement because I love it; its characters, the story, the dynamics, and the way that the author made the theatre concept (I really thought it’s gonna be a boring subject you know). And to think that this was just a random pick from My Public Library made the book even more precious because wow, it’s not every day that you get surprised by random choices.
Inspired from the musical My Fair Lady, My Fair Brady is about our two male protagonists named Elijah Brady and Wade Westmore. While the two are both openly gays, they are as different as the sun and the moon. Elijah’s a sophomore, a geek, and well, to put it mildly, one of the school wallflowers who’d rather interact with himself than the other students of Monroe High. On the other hand, Wade is an extremely handsome, spotlight-loving, and overly popular senior student. Anticipating these two wholly different individuals falling inlove and being together would have been like a fist to the moon but shit, the author made it f—cking work in that toe curling way I’m practically squealing from the top of my lungs.
With its realistic conversations, the theatre shenanigans, depiction of the day-to-day life of teenager students, and adorable characters, it’s so easy to fall head over heels in love with this book. As an introvert, I can relate to Brady and his portrayal of this anxious and out-of-his-comfort-zone boy so much because it’s real. And it’s something that you can’t shake off overnight. On the other hand, Wade can be so loathsome and yet, he had grown on me with a surprising ease. Despite his good natured intentions, it’s just so funny that he still remained like a clueless ass about you know, being truly sincere and a genuine person. He thought that he can just flip to the very best version of himself in a snap of a finger but it takes a lot to be someone worthy of true affection.
Another thing that I appreciate about this book is that the author maintained its fluffiness from start to finish. The drama was kept to a minimum although well-executed, no dragging moments, and the themes explored in the story were not imposing/suffocating. At the end of the ride, My Fair Brady is more than a swoony and fluffy romance story between Wade and Brady; it’s about going out of your comfort zone and challenging everything about you so that a better copy of yourself gets made the day after and the day after that. It’s about forgiving yourself and allowing yourself to have second chances and learning from your past mistakes. All in all, I find this book a total winner.