Book Review: A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can't get any worse. Then she marries her "husband": Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona's long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

A Match Made in High School was a funny, light read. I picked it up during a break between paranormal books, and I was pleasantly surprised with it.

A Match Made in High School focuses on a "Marriage Education" program that pairs every senior up into a couple. In all honestly, this reminded me of some of the worst classes I've taken in high school/college. The ones I'm talking about are the ones that are meant to teach students some sort of "valuable life lesson", but fail to think of ways to connect with the students. In the book, it's obvious that certain members of the administration have some underlying issues that led to the implementation of this program.

Walker did a good job of showing how thin the line is between prank, and just being mean. At the start of the book, Todd's pranks were rather cruel. In fact, I would consider him to be somewhat of a bully. So, it was nice to see those pranks and insults become more like inside jokes, and a way of communicating with Fiona. I also appreciated that this book didn't take the typical teen romance route. When I received the book, I was worried that Fiona was going to end up with Todd the jock/jerk. The synopsis makes it obvious that there's more to him than just mean pranks and sports, and in many YA books this would mean that Fiona/Todd would be the natural pairing. I'm happy to say it didn't happen here, which made the characters a bit more realistic.

Overall, it's a great summer read! I can't wait to read more from Walker.

A Match Made in High School
By Kristin Walker
Published by Razorbill
278 Pages
Rating: C+/B-