UNDERSTUDYAuthor: Cheyanne Young
Standalone
Publication date: February 15th, 2014
Publisher: 336Love
Number of pages: 142
Date read: June, 2014
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Review Copy provided by Oops I Read Tours
Format: Ebook
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(Description source: Goodreads)
The high school play is in two months and senior Wren Barlow just became director. Wren still isn't over the fact that she got stiffed as a stagehand instead of the lead role that she totally deserved. Now she is in charge of rehearsals, costumes, navigating around cast member hookups and managing the real life drama at home.
The principal counts on her to succeed because tickets have been sold and the money has been spent. But when he drops a gorgeous bad boy on her and wants him to help the play for extra credit, she falls hard for someone she knows she can't date. With everything spinning out of control, the mysterious and secretive detention king named Derek has a few tricks up his sleeve and wants to help—too bad Wren is scared to give him a chance to prove himself.
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Wren is only auditioning for the school play as it will help her get into her dream college, however Wren gets lumped with the roles of understudy and stagehand.
Add a guy only known as trouble and she almost has her hands full.
When their director, Wren's overly dramatic aunt, quits her jobs as their teacher and director, Wren is coerced into taking over the reins and then she really does have her hands full. Busy dealing with set designs, casting issues and personal troubles, the "bad" boy is her one bright spot, but will she give him the chance he's hoping for?
Understudy is a very fast-paced read, time passing is a little difficult to tell throughout the novel because of the fast pace, as in months have passed in the story but it doesn't quite feel like it.
Wren is very self-absorbed, she doesn't tend to consider how others feel or anything except how circumstance affect her chances at her dream college and how she isn't getting what she wants. Despite not really caring much about acting, she really is quite dramatic. This is not to say that I didn't like Wren's character, but she did irritate me a great deal.
The times I liked her character best were when she was being nice and relaxed while having fun hanging out with Derek.
It was also awesome to see how she loved creating things in her wood workshop class and was interested in interior decorating.
Her friendship with her best friend is tried throughout the novel but I loved the resolution between the two.
Derek is my favourite character in this story, I just loved him, he had to deal with rumours and comments and yet managed to always remain the sweetest guy.
I really like how even though Wren has heard had things about Derek, she stills hangs out with him and gets to know him.
Although, Wren does struggle with the fact that Derek can't tell her the whole truth about his situation and I feel she really should have been more understanding and less over-the-top about it all, but the situation was unique and the truth is something you will find yourself wondering about until the very end of the novel when it is all revealed.
The secondary characters are well-rounded, each of them had their own issues going on, and I liked the way Gwen seemed to end up happy.
Wren's aunt however, is unchanging and poorly behaved.
I liked the ending, although I would have liked Wren to apologize for her hot-and-cold behaviour which was a little much.
A very quick read, with a sweet romance and theatrical characters - Understudy contains some really cute moments.
I rate UNDERSTUDY Three out of Five!!!
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Excerpt:
School has been out for thirty minutes so I’m surprised to find a student in the back of the warehouse using the skill saw. I don’t recognize him from behind, but from what I can see of his backside, he’s too hot for Lawson High. Maybe he’s a movie star researching his next film role. He’s wearing jeans a tight fitting black shirt. His brown hair touches his shoulders and is as silky smooth as mine is after an hour of flat-ironing it to death. Ugh, why do guys always get the best hair?
Mr. Harrison gives an old man arthritic grunt as he settles onto his work stool. He slides the longest piece of molding across the workshop table toward me. “Cut this on the chalk line.”
I slide open my tape measure, but he stops me. “Use the square. Come on girl, I taught you better than that.” Of course he did. The normal me would have known to grab the square to mark a perfect line, but right now I can’t think over the thudding of my heart in my chest. How is it that I’m more nervous standing across the room from a guy who hasn’t even noticed that I exist, than I was moments ago while auditioning for the biggest role in the school play?
I head over to the pegboard wall with all the tools on it. The square, which actually looks like a triangle, should be on the lower left corner but it’s not. I check the workspaces around me but still can’t find it. I’m about to tell Mr. Harrison that someone stole his tools again when I see it.
It’s shoved in the back pocket of the hottest ass I’ve ever seen. I make my way over to the possible movie star, miraculously not dropping dead from cardiac arrest. A sheepish grin falls over my face. “Can I have that square?”
Hot Boy turns around, a carpenter’s pencil sticking out of his mouth. He takes the square from his pocket and hands it to me. “Thanks,” I say. He glances over at my project and then back at me, and I’m pretty sure his eyes graze over my entire body in a split second, but it feels like it takes an hour.
“Crown molding?” He says it like he’s confused. Like we’re in a shoe factory instead of wood shop.
I give an awkward shrug. “I want my room to look like a French boudoir.”
He nods and this smirk spreads across his lips as he looks at the molding and then back at me, as if suddenly understanding my entire personality.
There’s something in his smile that makes me want to rip off my shirt and throw myself into his arms, declaring my soul as his love slave, like some lunatic in an Axe body wash commercial. He holds out his hand. “I’m Derek.”
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About Cheyanne Young
Cheyanne is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, nail polish and paid holidays. She lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy and a cat who is most likely plotting to take over the world.
She also writes under the pen name Amy Sparling.
Website: www.CheyanneYoung.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NormalChey
Instagram: http://instagram.com/NormalChey
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