YA author Jenna Guillaume is back with a fun and modern feminist twist on the 1985 pop cult film Weird Science.
Sixteen-year-old Katie Camilleri can’t believe she’s accidentally created a teenage boy. A boy six-feet tall with floppy hair and eyes like the sky on a clear summer’s day. A boy whose lips taste like cookie dough and whose skin smells like springtime. A boy completely devoted to Katie. But silly musings and kitchen antics with her best friend, Libby, have definitely taken a whimsical twist into something bigger than Katie could have ever daydreamed. Turns out the consequences of fumbling a human being into existence are rather complicated. More importantly, does Guy, the golden Adonis Katie’s created, like her because he wants to, or because he has to? And will he be Katie’s very first kiss?
From the author of What I Like About Me comes a hilarious feminist twist on a classic narrative, loaded with laughs, mishaps, and plenty of 80s and 90s pop-culture callbacks. Jenna Guillaume’s entertaining romantic comedy novel features a humorous and relatable voice and will appeal to fans of Jenny Han.
Welcome to the You Were Made for Me Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of You Were Made for Me by Jenna Guillaume on April 1st, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Jenna, as well as 10 chances to win the hardcover!
Rating: 💫💫💫💫
Review: This had all the workings of giving me major nostalgia! I grew up watching movies like Weird Science and others. And this book made me fall in love with those 80's movies all over again. I loved the feel of the gender swap and how this one was full of humor! This is totally an escapism book to read if you are looking for something new and old all at once.
You Were Made for Me: Two Truths and One Lie
by Jenna Guillaume
Here are three facts about my second book, You Were Made for Me. I use the word “facts” loosely. In reality, only two of these are true, and one is a lie. Can you guess which one?
1. This scene with Katie’s parents is directly inspired by my own parents:
“Good,” Mum said. “And just in case the rules haven’t made it clear: you’re still not allowed to have sex until you’re thirty-five.”
“Mum,” I said.
“It’s for your own good,” Dad said, nudging me. He’d been quiet this whole time. When he said what he did next, I wish he’d stayed that way. “Honestly, most blokes don’t know what they’re doing before then anyway. It’s not even worth the cost of the condoms.”
2. There’s an Easter egg in You Were Made for Me about Korean band BTS.
3. The character of Guy is based on my high school boyfriend, who I later married.
I’ll give you a moment to pick which one is the lie.
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Okay. Ready for the answers?
1. That scene with Katie’s parents is directly inspired by my own parents: TRUTH.
This is an exact recreation of a conversation I had with my parents when I was 15. Needless to say, I was absolutely mortified at the time. In hindsight, I appreciate that my dad was putting the emphasis on my experience in what was ultimately a pretty progressive way. As I was writing You Were Made for Me, I remembered this moment and felt that such behaviour from a dad character was a refreshing twist on the “father with a shotgun” trope. My parents were very amused to have their words quoted by characters in my book.
2. There’s an Easter egg in You Were Made for Me about Korean band BTS: TRUTH.
If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of BTS. There are no direct references to them in You Were Made for Me, but there is a very subtle nod that only BTS ARMY can spot (and even then, it might be a bit of a stretch!). Theo, Katie’s boy next door, still sleeps with a stuffed toy—an alpaca. This is inspired by BTS member Jin, who can often be seen carrying (and sleeping with) the alpaca toy he designed, called RJ. To me there’s something very sweet and endearing in the way he unashamedly loves this character, and it was the kind of soft masculinity I wanted Theo to channel. So I gave him a stuffed alpaca of his own to cuddle.
3. The character of Guy is based on my high school boyfriend, who I later married: LIE.
I did marry my high school boyfriend, and he liked to joke while I was writing You Were Made for Me that Guy—the “perfect guy”—was obviously based on him. Sorry to his ego, but he really wasn’t. Guy was inspired by the beautiful himbo energy of characters that Chris Hemsworth and Brendan Fraser have played (think Thor and George of the Jungle). There is actually more (although still not a lot) of my husband in Theo. Certainly Theo’s room—the separate space at the back of the house that is very convenient for hiding Guy—was directly inspired by the room my husband lived in when we were in high school. There are always some real-life influences in my books, but it is very much a work of fiction, after all.
*****
Blog Tour Schedule:
3/29 - BookhoundsYA
3/30 - Book Briefs
3/31 - Novel Novice
4/1 - The Fandom
4/2 - YA Book Nerd
4/5 - Randomly Reading
4/6 - Crossroad Reviews
4/7 - The Young Folks
4/8 - A Dream Within a Dream
4/9 - I'm All Booked Up
“Plenty of early 2000s rom-com vibes and lighthearted mishaps… Guillaume’s cinematic story weaves together beloved romantic comedy tropes touched with magic—or is it science?—and drops them into a fresh, contemporary setting. Despite the playful tone, this isn’t without nuance, taking on serious topics such as male body image, friendship, and asexuality.” —Booklist
Follow Jenna: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
About the Author: Jenna Guillaume was the editor-at-large for BuzzFeed Australia, where she wrote about very important things like pop culture, identity, feminism, social media, and Chris Hemsworth's biceps. Previously, she spent more than half a decade in the features department of Girlfriend magazine, editing the sealed section (yes, all those questions are real), and writing about everything from bullying and body image to bad kisses and boy bands. She was also a contributor to Girlfriend Life Hacks, an essential guide to navigating a girl's completely-awkward-but-totally-awesome teen years.
GIVEAWAY
- 1 winner will receive a finished copy of You Were Made for Me
- Check out the other tour stops for more chances to win!
- US/Canada only
- Ends 11:59pm ET on 4/18
FTC Guidelines: In accordance with FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials for bloggers, I would like my readers to know that many of the books I review are provided to me for free by the publisher or author of the book in exchange for an honest review. If am compensated for any reviews on this site I will state that post has been sponsored.
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