Tia and Will’s lives get flipped upside down when they’re voted Yearbook’s Biggest Flirts in this sassy novel from the author of Endless Summer and The One That I Want.
Tia just wants to have fun. She’s worked hard to earn her reputation as the life of the party, and she’s ready for a carefree senior year of hanging out with friends and hooking up with cute boys. And her first order of business? New guy Will. She can’t get enough of his Midwestern accent and laidback swagger.
As the sparks start to fly, Will wants to get serious. Tia’s seen how caring too much has left her sisters heartbroken, and she isn’t interested in commitment. But pushing Will away drives him into the arms of another girl. Tia tells herself it’s no big deal…until the yearbook elections are announced. Getting voted Biggest Flirts with Will is, well, awkward. They may just be friends, but their chemistry is beginning to jeopardize Will’s new relationship—and causing Tia to reconsider her true feelings. What started as a lighthearted fling is about to get very complicated…
Having heard so many good things about Jennifer Echols’ other novels, I’m disappointed to say that Biggest Flirts was a rather underwhelming read.
I really enjoyed how casual high school relationships (or “friends with benefits”) were portrayed, as it’s definitely something that’s prevalent in today’s society. Our protagonist, Tia, enjoys casual sex – something that was presented in a positive light and without shame or embarrassment.
While I (mostly) liked Tia’s character, I can see how other readers may be initially turned off by her voice and actions. She’s strong, snarky and speaks her mind, and her desire to stay out of meaningful relationships causes a lot of unnecessary drama. As the story progresses, Tia’s insecurities and motivations for her commitment issues come to light, and I enjoyed watching lower her guard and let others in.
The romance was cute, albeit predictable. It was quick to develop, though that didn’t bother me as much as I was expecting, since I know firsthand what’s it’s like to meet someone and develop an instant connection (and overly flirtatious friendship) with them. Although it was fun to read Tia and Will’s flirty banter, I found myself often wanting them to end up with other characters since their relationship goals didn’t align: Tia was looking for a casual relationship while Will was looking for something more serious. This led to a vicious cycle of fighting and making up that would put a Katy Perry song to shame, and quickly made me lose interest in how the relationship was going to play out.
The secondary characters, themselves, weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked; in fact, they could have been completely removed from the story and it wouldn’t have changed much of the plot. Tia’s interactions with her friends were limited, and the few scenes with her family seemed only to reinforce Tia’s reasons for never wanting a boyfriend.
Overall, Biggest Flirts just didn’t work for me. I’ll likely still pick up the other books in this series, if only to learn more about the secondary characters.
