Review of The Most Likely To Series by Jennifer Echols
Stepping away from my usual posts of murder mystery series, I have read a gigantic book containing 3 stories, all from the same series, titled Most Likely To. I will summarize and review each of the stories in this post.
I like romance books, and once upon a time I was the biggest fan of YA romance books. My favourite type is when the man yearns for the woman, and after a long time of angst and stuff they end up together. And the miscommunication trope.
The first book is titled "The Biggest Flirts":
Tia Cruz is a senior in high school who plans to have fun and drum in the marching band. She resides in a small town near Tampa Bay and has two best friends, Kaye and Harper. Her carefree plans are turned upside down after new boy Will Matthews arrives. After a brief hookup, she doesn't want anything serious and Will decides to go after smart girl Angelica while she continues her friends-with-benefits relationship with goofy boy Sawyer. Jealous but unable to explain her feelings, her and Will still flirt during band practice, causing tension between Will's relationship with Angelica.
Their flirting does not go unnoticed as their superlatives are Biggest Flirts. Will likes Tia, but she doesn't want a boyfriend. After an accidental kiss, Will affirms that he is seeing Angelica and things grow tense. It takes a turn for the worst as Tia challenges Will to drum captain, intending to come in third so she doesn't have to stand next to him. However, she forgets to do bad and ends up drum captain, Will unhappy. After Harper locks them in a closet to talk about their issues, and they agree to be friends.
Tia attempts to talk to Angelica and make up with Will, but Angelica refuses. So, Will convinces Tia to fake date to make Angelica jealous. Angelica rejects him and Will confesses that he likes Tia. They share a nice night on the beach, but Tia breaks up with him.
At band practice, Sawyer has a heat stroke and Will helps him. Tia shares a moment with him and the next day, they officially get together.
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I read this book the most often because it was the first one of the series. I have to admit, Tia is not my cup of tea. I think it's because her personality is unique to other romance novels I've read and opposite to my own personality. She is outspoken and outgoing and says shit without thinking.
The miscommunication trope is used quite a lot in the book, but some things are so easy to clarify that it does get quite annoying. I think that the key to a relationship is being loyal and honest.
With Will initially having a girlfriend and coming in and hooking up with Tia before knowing his ex cheated on him, that is weird. It's even weirder that both were eager to touch and flirt with each other in public, in front of everyone. And even when Angelica and Will were confirmed to be seeing each other, Tia kept going after him. It is frustrating because I'd rather have Angelica be free of whatever situationship happened. I want to root for this couple, but it's so hard because of the unloyalness.
I get Tia wants to have fun because of her older sister's experiences with settling down and getting knocked up at a young age only for the guy to leave them. It is a unique trauma to explain why a teen doesn't want to settle down. And I do appreciate that Will is straightforward with his feelings, but I think it was unfair to Angelica to be in a relationship where the guy isn't even totally invested in you. Good for her to stand up for herself.
The back-and-forth hookups to dating to breakup and repeat is so tiring by the third time. Especially the one at the end, like y'all had a nice time at the beach and you just reject him in the morning?
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The second book is called Perfect Couple:
Artsy photographer Harper and star quarterback Brody get elected Perfect Couple That Never Was for their senior superlatives. Harper is on friendly and slightly flirty terms with Brody, who she also has a crush on. However, her boyfriend Kennedy and Brody's cheerleader girlfriend Grace are in the way.
Kennedy happens to be the editor for the yearbook while Harper is the photographer. Her job is to take pictures of the superlatives, including her and Brody. Kennedy is not the ideal boyfriend, being sarcastic and unsupportive of her. Harper is clearly unhappy in the relationship.
During Labour Day weekend, the seniors decide to go to the beach. Harper gets a mini-makeover, trading glasses for contacts and wearing a new red bikini. Brody definitely notices and as they try to take their superlative photo on the beach, it ends in a makeout. However, Harper sees Brody feel up Grace so she spends the rest of the day with Kennedy.
One night, Harper's dad is yelling at her mom. They should be divorced, but he keeps calling it off. Harper calls Brody over to stop the fighting, and it works. They end up making out in her bedroom, and Harper says she'll break up with Kennedy.
She does, and while Kennedy moves up her photo deadline, she quits yearbook. Though that goes sour, she ends up kissing Brody after the football team wins. Thinking all is well, Will and Tia drive her home when she's informed that Brody left the game with Grace. In a plot to get back, Harper makes out with Sawyer. Brody sees and explains to her that it was a mistake and he wants to be with her. She doesn't forgive him, but the next day she goes out to dinner with him and a bunch of other couples from high school.
They get together again, but Kaye reveals to them that they weren't actually nominated Perfect Couple That Never Was, instead they were just the two most voted guy and girl. Nobody voted them together. In the heat of the moment, Harper breaks up with Brody. She soon takes it back but Brody refuses.
Another day, another fight resolved. Harper is out taking pictures of the incoming tropical storm when Brody spots her. They agree to date again and happy ending.
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I found Will and Tia's multiple breakups annoying. I found Harper and Brody's even more unnecessary and annoying. At least Tia had a decent reason to break up with Will. Harper's was just cause she was upset they weren't actually nominated.
I found the trope cute, artsy girl with athletic boy. But they were all sort of friends first, so the buildup wasn't as angsty nor exciting.
Speaking of angst, I know that there was some yearning and shit but the constant cheating was something else. Kennedy is the worst character in the book by far, with his condescending comments and selfish actions. However, the cheating wasn't cool and Harper should've broken up with him long before that.
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Third and last book is called Most Likely To Succeed:
In the previous books, Sawyer reveals to Tia and Harper that he is hopelessly in love with Kaye. Now that this book is in her POV, we learn that she likes him back, despite being in a 3 year relationship with Aiden. Kaye is vice president of student council while Aiden is president, and Sawyer is also a student representative. We also learn that the winning couple for the Perfect Couple That Never Was is Sawyer and Kaye, but Kaye doesn't reveal it to Sawyer.
More mistakes come from the superlative miscount, and Aiden is fed up after a fight during a council meeting. He asks Kaye for a break, and while she is devastated, she realizes that she doesn't want to be with him and instead wants Sawyer. The thing is that Kaye's mom is very controlling of her. She wants the best for her, and pushes her academically and socially. She disapproves of cheerleading, student council, and of Sawyer.
But during a bus ride home from a game, her and Sawyer share a kiss. Kaye asks if they could go on a date, but Sawyer dismisses her. She gets upset and he tries to explain, but she doesn't bother to listen.
Another day, another make up: Kaye and Sawyer make up and fool around on Harper's grandad's beach before the cops find them. Kaye's mom is called, which isn't going to end well. Kaye's mom does not think very high of Sawyer because of his formerly imprisoned dad.
They sneak around for a bit, but Sawyer discovers a note between Tia and Kaye trying to set them up. He is angry because it is implied in the note that Kaye thinks of him like an experiment before university. Don't worry, of course they make up! The book doesn't end with a huge kiss, but more of a hopeful 'we'll make it' end.
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Wow, I think they got together and broke up like 3 or 4 different times. Their story is clearly the best because it was built up over the past two books. The fans wanted them and got it!
I think this is the best book of the series solely because of the built up romance. The plot is clearly the best. Kaye is the most likeable of the girls, and I like Will slightly better than Sawyer (it's harder to rank them because we only see the girls' POVs).
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Overall, the series was not as good as I remembered it to be. I think the main reason why is the constant breakups-and-makeups. The yearning part is great. #1. Tia likes Will but has mommy issues. #2. The artsy girl and the jock is a good trope when done right. #3. The smart girl and the class clown is also a good trope.
All of them had reason to yearn for each other and not be together in the first half of the book. But the constant breaking-up-and-getting-back-together is sooo annoying. Once, OK. Twice? Getting tired. Three? Pls just break up for good.
Seriously, I stopped rooting for all couples, even Kaye & Sawyer, because of how many times they would fight and make up. It was so annoying! Also, it was always the same. One of them found out something that hurt their feelings, though it was always miscommunication. Then, they would ignore the person for a day or two and get back together quickly. A little drama after they got together would've been cool. But for all three couples? And for it to happen like 3 times each?
It straight up pissed me off. Ruined the books for me. Too much forced drama.
Anyways, who do I think would end up together? This is what I think would happen if there was a sequel:
While doing Drum Corps, Tia and Will get into a fight about their future and break up, but dramatically get together during their final performance
Meanwhile, Angelica attempts to take over Kaye's VP position but fails. Aiden gets kicked out of his position for trying to mess with Kaye. Kaye gets promoted to president and Aiden is now VP.
Harper and Brody are still boring...
Kaye gets early admission into Columbia, Sawyer does not. They get into a fight and break up for a week.
Tia's dad proposes selling the new house and moving to another place in Tampa, resulting in conflict and resentment with Tia unsure of her future
Brody gets injured badly during a game and is bitter towards Harper. They break up. Get back together after 4 days.
Sawyer ends up getting into Columbia too.
After graduation, Brody doesn't end up getting a football scholarship but gets into University of Florida anyways. But Harper gets into some Liberal Arts school for digital media in Massachusetts or smth. So they end up breaking up in August.
Sawyer and Kaye move to Columbia, Kaye lives in dorms with one roommate and Sawyer has 8 roommates living in some basement. They struggle adjusting to life there, Kaye is homesick but Sawyer feels the opposite. Also Sawyer stays in Kaye's dorm often. They don't break up officially but get into many petty fights.
As for Will and Tia, Will ends up going to University of Minnesota like he envisioned - she ends up going to University of Florida. They break up after senior year ends.
After first year summer, they end up having a get-together in their tiny town (idek the name of the damn place)
Both previously broken up couples get back together. JK. Tia and Will hook up but don't get back together. Same with Harper and Brody, they exchange a tearful goodbye instead.
Kaye, unhappy and pressured into holding up her parent's legacy, transfers to Yale (idk how it works dont ask). Her and Sawyer end up breaking up too
The end.
