I’ve got a new YA romance for you! Some romance stories are sweet, but when you’re the third wheel, they’re a little bit awkward. Let’s check out Lara’s story as she tries to navigate friendship, family, first love, and how to be the best third wheel!
Title: How to Be the Best Third Wheel
Author: Loridee de Villa
Published by: Wattpad Books
Publishing date: May 3, 2022
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:
After a summer spent in the Philippines with her family, Lara de la Cruz is eager to start her senior year and, most importantly, reunite with her three besties, Carol, Jasmine, and Kiera. Of course summer is the season of change, and Lara knew she’d have to get caught up on the major updates, hot gossip, and other shenanigans she may have missed. But what she did not expect was to show up on the first day of school to all three of her friends now in relationships.
The mushy public displays of affection and lunches spent gushing about their new “boyfries” has Lara quickly realizing her last year of high school is nothing like she imagined. Since she’s been back, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, has become impossibly annoying. Sure, they are now both third wheels, but why is he asking her to tutor him in classes? And why, after they start spending more time together, does she begin to notice how cute he looks when he smiles . . . uh oh.
Fighting for the attention of her best friends, catching some pretty new and confusing feelings for James, and wading through the pressures post-high-school plans all have Lara reeling. And to make matters worse, Lara’s beautiful and untrustworthy cousin conveniently appears and wiggles her way right between her and James’ budding relationship. Feeling like a third wheel in more ways than one, Lara must learn to accept that change is inevitable, love is complicated, and being the odd one out is sometimes where inner power is found.
*Thank you to Wattpad Books for a free e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.*
This was a cute, enjoyable story. It was sweet, funny, a little cheesy, but altogether a nice teen romance that I finished pretty quickly. The story follows Lara as she comes back from a summer vacation to find that all three of her best friends now have boyfriends, and I think it captures that feeling of being a third wheel in a relatable and funny way. She’s a bit of an anti-romantic, but she’s got her own slow building romance full of tropey but adorable moments. I love that the story put an equal emphasis on sweet as well as slightly satirical romantic moments, fun and impactful friendship moments, and warm and cozy family moments. I felt like I was able to get a full look at Lara’s world and really get in the experience with her, and there were so many great relationship dynamics. The book is definitely a little cheesy, and there were a few times that characters said or did things that felt a little unrealistic, or like it would take a really big coincidence to happen in real life. Like the fact that basically all of the boys in one friendship group perfectly matched up with all of the girls in another friendship group. Despite that, I still found the story really cute and think anyone looking for a quick, sweet teen story will enjoy it.
I loved Lara as a character. Her sense of humor is great and there’s a lot of funny commentary as she is narrating that I really enjoyed. She’s a little sassy and snarky, makes great references, and is definitely overdramatic but in a way that’s fun. She definitely feels like a teenager, the kind you want to shake your head at but also love to death. In addition to romance and humor, I also found her relatable in her feelings about being a senior in high school and that scary stage in life where everybody expects you to know exactly what you want to do next. Definitely a great protagonist.
I also liked the elements of diversity and culture in the story. In addition to Lara having a diverse friend group, Lara is a Filipina-Canadian character, and we get to see her family’s culture in many ways throughout the story. The book has a lot of dialogue in Tagalog, along with translation so that readers get to understand, but also get a real picture of what conversation can look like in bilingual families. I loved seeing Lara’s relationship with her grandmother (her Lola) and her parents especially.
Overall, this book is perfect for anyone wanting a sweet, clean teen romance. Definitely a little corny, and a few moments of having to suspend disbelief. But it’s a fun story that has a great depiction of ups and downs of first loves, friendships, and family.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen someone do for love?
Thanks for reading!
Faith Noelle 