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Tia Cruz is a carefree high school senior who just wants to have fun with her friends and hook up with hot guys. The current hot guy she has her sights set on is the new guy, Will Matthews. He looks like her kind of guy - one who isn't interested in commitment or a girlfriend, just a steamy hookup. Unfortunately for Tia just as things start to heat up, Will really wants to get serious. Tia can't bring herself to commit because she's seen how bad relationships have left her sisters completely heartbroken. She figures if she avoids being half of an official couple, her heart won't be torn into tiny pieces when he leaves, or does something much worse. By pushing him away, she just manages to push him into the arms of another girl. Tia thinks it's no big deal until the yearbook senior superlatives are announced - let's just say that getting voted Biggest Flirt with Will proves to be very awkward. As Tia and Will's chemistry begins to jeopardize his relationship with his girlfriend, Tia has to reconsider her true feelings.
Contemporary YA is not normally my go-to genre, but I decided to check this one out because I've been seeing the series around quite a bit lately - and I must admit the covers are kind of cute. Of course, there are exceptions, but Biggest Flirts is a good example of why I usually don't pick up this genre unless the author's name happens to be John Green or Rainbow Rowell. I don't know - maybe 26 is just far too old to put up with Tia's nonsense? Not much upsets me more than a girl who pretends to be an airhead to be popular and get the boys, and to actually self sabotage her life because she's doesn't want to commit to anything at all, including boyfriends, her education, her job, and band. She's solely interested in the here and now - specifically the next fling.
I was hoping Tia would become a better person over the course of the story, but she really doesn't. She seems to be a combination of Lydia from Teen Wolf multiplied by Caroline from The Vampire Diaries before they became some of the more interesting parts of their shows. Too bad Tia doesn't have a moment where she grows into a character I want to read. On that note, I was also quite surprised by how graphic the story gets by as early as chapter two. For a minute there I thought I was actually reading erotica. This one's definitely for older teens.
Will, on the other hand, is alright, but I realized I didn't really care all that much about his character in the first place because I was too busy seeing red when it came to Tia. One of the more interesting things about Will according to Tia, aside from his Minnesotan accent, ability to play drums, and his six-pack abs, is his earring. She mentions this fact over and over, but when I looked at the cover to check for said earring I noticed that his one most defining feature, when his clothes are on, is missing. I feel like 25% of what I know about him a lie.
The only reason I gave this novel two stars instead of one is because the marching band scenes were halfway decent. I may be a little bit biased as I enjoyed being in band. I wasn't in marching band, but I did perform in concert band and pep band. That's really the only relatable aspect of the story for me.
Overall, Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols just wasn't for me. I'm either too old or too pragmatic find myself all that interested in Tia and Will's problems. After this I doubt I'll be back for the final two books in the series.
I read this novel from August 28 - 30, 2015 and my review is also on Goodreads.
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