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How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom by S.J. Goslee

Young adult

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom

by S.J. Goslee

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Quick take

When a prom-posal goes horribly awry, an awkward teen finds himself fake-dating an unlikely classmate.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Happy

    Happy

  • Illustrated icon, Light_Read

    Light read

  • Illustrated icon, LGBTQ_themes

    LGBTQ+ themes

  • Illustrated icon, LOL

    LOL

Synopsis

Nolan Grant is sixteen, gay, and (definitely) still a virgin. He's never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. It's not like Penn Valley is brimming with prospects. And when his big sister stages an elaborate “prom-posal” so Nolan can ask out his not-so-secret crush, Nolan freezes. He's saved from further embarrassment by bad boy Bern, who, for his own reasons, offers to fake-date Nolan.

Nolan thinks it's the perfect way to get Daphne off his back and spend the rest of the year drawing narwhals, tending to plants, and avoiding whatever died under his bed a few weeks ago. What he doesn't think about is Bern's ex-girlfriend, who seriously wants to kill him.

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Check out a preview of How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom.

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom

One

Spring renewal comes with many things—the annual Sheffield Family Lawn Game Tournament, my part-time job at the Talbot plant nursery, an inexplicable increase in dick drawings on the outside of my locker.

What I don’t expect it to bring, this year, on the day of the spring equinox, is my name being called in homeroom for the Student Advisor Program.

The Student Advisor Program is for juniors freaking out about college apps and the bored seniors who volunteer to help them. When my sister was one of those juniors last year, she formed a codependent bond in SAP with the co-captain of the golf team that basically weirded everybody out.

But me: I’m completely chill about college apps. I’m going to follow my sister to State, obviously, and if I can’t get in there I’ll probably just stay home and work for Mr. Talbot for the rest of my life. I’ve got a green thumb; it’ll be fine.

Haimes says, “Nolan Grant Sheffield,” and I straighten up in my seat, watch the other three kids in the class that apparently actually did sign up for SAP scramble out the door.

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Why I love it

High school junior Nolan Grant Sheffield is gay, out, and unashamed of who he is. When we first meet him, dating—never mind going to prom—is the last thing on his mind. His meddling sister Daphne, however, has bigger plans for his love life. You may be able to guess what happens next, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. Nolan ends up in a sham relationship with a boy who once bullied him! Chaos ensues. By now we’re all familiar with the “fake-dating” trope—but until now we haven’t seen it done quite like this.

But back to Nolan and his fake dating situation. Like most characters in this predicament, he has no clue what he’s doing most of the time and this leads to a series of events made ever more ridiculous by his errors in judgment throughout. Call it cliché if you wish. I call it downright Shakespearean. There’s a reason this plot device—the comedy of errors; the farce—has withstood the test of time. It kinda never gets old. Meanwhile, the modern voice and humor S.J. Goslee brings to the story keeps this tale-as-old-as-time fresh and new.

Read this book if you can’t get enough faux love that becomes (or perhaps always was) true love. Or read it because you’re looking for a diverse romance that goes way beyond just a gay protagonist. Basically, if you’re looking for a novel to fill the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before-shaped hole in your heart, this is the book for you.

Member ratings (529)

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Young adult
View all
The Wild Huntress
Ruthless Vows
What the River Knows
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dragonfruit
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Check & Mate
Divine Rivals
Foul Lady Fortune
Anna K Away
I Must Betray You
A Wilderness of Stars
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Bloodmarked
Instructions for Dancing
The Boy in the Red Dress
Color Me In
Not So Pure and Simple
Throw Like a Girl
Frankly in Love
The Queen of Nothing
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Anna K
Patron Saints of Nothing
The Kingdom of Back
Yes No Maybe So
Permanent Record
Full Disclosure
Oasis
Where the World Ends
I Have No Secrets
Song of the Crimson Flower
When the Stars Lead to You
All the Bright Places
Saving Zoë
Symptoms of a Heartbreak
All of Us with Wings
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Past Perfect Life
There's Something About Sweetie
Again, But Better
Sky Without Stars
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Night Music
Shout
The Deceivers
Top Ten
A Million Junes
And We're Off
Salt to the Sea