My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: How to Be the Best Third Wheel

Author: Loridee De Villa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 5/3/22

Publisher: Wattpad Books

Categories: Contemporary, Young Adult, Teen Readers, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

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Thank you to Wattpad Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A clean teen romance comedy about figuring out where you belong when all the constants in your life begin to change.

It’s the last year of highschool, and everything has changed . . .

After spending summer vacation in the Philippines with family, Lara returns to school eager to catch up with her close knit group of girlfriends. But within minutes of reuniting with her friends, she learns that not one, not two, but all three of them are now in relationships that blossomed over the summer. And to make matters worse, Lara’s long time frenemy, James, won’t stop bugging her in class and eventually forces her into tutoring him everyday after school.

Surviving high school was never easy to begin with, but with occupied friends, a hectic Filipino family, and her annoying childhood enemy pestering her more than ever, Lara tries to juggle everything, while trying to figure out her own place in the chaos.

Content Warning:

First off, a warning – this book does not have a happily ever after. Also it’s definitely more for teen readers.

Lara is dealing with a lot of things, and most Seniors in high school do. Her best friends came back from summer break all with boyfriends, she’s tutoring her childhood crush but now enemy James, and she’s trying to decide what she wants to do after high school.

I love the diversity and how Lara is a second generation filipino immigrant that lives in Canada. She is fluent in Tagalog which is nice and we get the Tagalog translations in English as well. I’m Filipino American, but my family speaks Ilocano, not Tagalog so I needed those translations. I totally related to some of the Filipino family dynamics, and the mentions of food was fantastic. I love how she has that family bond and also the family enemy (her cousin, Eliza). Who doesn’t have family drama?

I thought Lara and James’ relationship was funny because honestly, Lara is so dramatic. But I felt that was perfect for her character, because I remember being a teenager, and how everything was a big deal in that moment of my life. As an adult reading this book, of course I had moments I was rolling my eyes and cringing but I had to remind myself how it was in high school. I feel like lots of teens will be able to relate to Lara’s worries about her path in life after high school.

Lara’s best friends in this book was always leaving her out to dry and that sucked. I get that dating also is such a big deal in high school as well but I felt bad for Lara. It did give her more time with James though but still, I felt bad when they kept flaking on her or lying. As for the ending – I am not someone into sad endings. Is it realistic? Sure, it is, but I want my romance stories to have happy endings even if it’s not realistic, so that didn’t work for me.

Why you should read it:

• friends to enemies to lovers story
• diversity, Filipino-Canadian rep

Why you might not want to read it:

• cringe inducing, eye rolling moments
• feels like it’s written for younger teens

My Thoughts:

I did enjoy the filipino representations and that’s why I requested this book. I feel like the story definitely fulfilled that part of my expectations with the Tagalog translations and familiar family dynamics I saw in Lara’s interactions. Those parts were great. I wasn’t really into her friends ghosting her all the time. The romance was funny and cute but there was no happily ever after, which left me sad – I want a romance to leave me happy. This one would appeal more to teens and younger who can relate to Lara’s coming of age challenges.

📚 ~ Yolanda