A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker

Title: A Match Made In High School
Author: Kristin Walker
Pages: 288
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: February 4, 2010
Source: Publisher and Bought

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. That's until 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 dorky, very big 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 is a chick-lit, cute, and hilarious debut novel. The whole idea of 'Trying the Knot' was witty and fun. We have the nerds, the 'wanna-be's, the jocks, the 'gossip girls', and the cheerleaders; all the right factors for a good chick-lit novel.

Based on the cover and the synopsis, you'd assume that this would be a one of those cliché novels. It's not. There were actually many clichés in the book, but Walker crafted it so well, she twisted the whole plot, making everything unique. I was thinking that this novel was one of those stories where the jock falls in love with the popular, mean girl, but thankfully, it wasn't.

The whole fake marriage course ('trying the knot') was an interesting concept. At the start, it seemed unsure if that 'trying the knot' idea would go well. Thanks to Walker's amazing writing, it did. We had the mock wedding, fake job promotions, surprise pregnancies, all those factors just coming in. It was so fun to read each and every factor the couples would get. I loved how everything just clicked.

I was thinking that Fiona (Princess Pisspants) was going to be a stereotypical character, she was. But there were parts of her personality and attitude that made her different. She loved, loved pranks, she's funny, fun, goofy, and sarcastic. The only part that I didn't like too much about her was that she a bit too self-centered. There was a point of the book, where she was so full of herself! Well, it might not be true, but maybe, I was too full of her. She thought that she gets the guy, everyone has to agree with her, etc.. Todd (Senor Shitslacks), her fake marriage partner, always disagreed and didn't agree to her decisions in the program, they fought so many times just because of that, that part was just annoying to read. Todd, that jock. Everything for him was all about girls and sports. I liked him more in the end, rather than the start.

What had most made me laugh while reading this novel was the insults, the series of pranks, and those witty comments. It was gold; the one factor that stands out of everything in the novel.

Not only was is this novel laugh-out-loud, but it was unpredictable. I guessed a few times with what was going to happen, but no, I was wrong. Whether the girl gets the guy she likes, the girl breaks up with the guy, the guy dumps the girl, it's unpredictable.

A Match Made In High School is an impressing and surprising novel. You seem a bit unsure at the start, but as soon as you keep reading, you'll be blown away with how good the book was. With Walker's addicting writing, fun characters, witty idea, hilarious pranks, this is an awesome debut coming from Kristin Walker. I definitely look forward to reading more from her.

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