Review Detail

Noelle hasn’t talked to her ex-best friend Yumi in almost a year. One kiss was all it took to end a decade long friendship. But when they receive a call from The Adventureverse, they are forced back into each other’s orbits. The show wants them on, now, but it comes with one major catch: it’s an all-couples season. Desperate to help her father afford his medical care, Noelle is willing to do anything to win this show – even fake date her ex-best friend. With all the cameras on them, will Noelle be able to fake her feelings enough to convince the world? And will she be able to keep her true feelings down long enough to win?

The reality show aspect of this book was a lot more fun than I had expected. This book does focus quite heavily on the reality show, providing drama and tension in a way that felt very natural. It was interesting to watch these two characters have to face these challenges all while also having to reconstruct a bond that was once seen as unbreakable. The challenges were fun and interesting, never seeming repetitive or too “out there” for what reality shows may have competitors do.

The entire book is told from Noelle’s point of view and while I do wish I could see some scenes from Yumi’s POV, the book works best when rooted in Noelle’s. There are certain scenes and aspects that would lose a bit of their shine and intrigue if we knew how Yumi was feeling during them.

One of the best things in this book is the main character. Noelle is a really sweet girl and it’s clear, even from the beginning, how much she cares. About The Adventureverse, about her dad, even about Yumi. She’s got a big heart and it’s very sweet to see. Noelle has a fantastic reason for joining The Adventureverse, a reason that she thinks about quite often. It gives a solid reason why she’s willing to do things that make her uncomfortable or to risk losing her heart. I genuinely adore her as a main character, even when she was making choices that I wouldn’t have made.

The romance between Yumi and Noelle was quite sweet and less angsty than I had expected. The trope of best friends to ex-best friends to dating isn’t one that I’ve seen a whole lot, but usually it adds a lot of tension and emotion into the book. This book definitely had the emotion, but the tension wasn’t too thick. It’s there, but it’s not a defining factor of the book.

GOOD LUCK, BABE is a fast-paced romance that takes place during a reality show competition. Two ex-best friends are thrust back together and must fake date in hopes of winning the prize money. With likeable characters, a cute romance, and a fun show GOOD LUCK, BABE shines as a YA novel.