This is a review for Jenna Guillaume’s You Were Made For Me. This is Jenna’s second novel after What I Like About Me.
You Were Made For Me follows friends Katie and Libby as they create the perfect boy, a boy that checks all the boxes on their list of what makes the perfect boy, a boy that becomes as real as you or me. This creates some interesting situations and schisms in Katie’s social life that prove for an interesting and engaging read.
I want to start by noting that Jenna tends to experiment with different ways of formatting her novels, such as the form of Journal Entries in What I Like About Me, or in a conversational way in this novel, which I think is implemented here in a way that keeps the book engaging and entertaining.
You Were Made For Me personally broke my expectations. As a big fan of the Young Adult book genre I am always looking for books that surpass expectations, that go beyond the mold. The Young Adult genre can be known for certain tropes and situations that either aren’t usually done well or are overdone. There are other books that can break new ground or ground that doesn’t get it’s fair chance in the limelight generally. I feel this book falls into the latter category.
Tackling themes that generally would get looked over or not written about as often as they should is Jenna’s strong suit. Her first novel for example follows a character journeying through body image issues, which is a great example of how Jenna doesn’t shy away from tackling the harder social issues of our time, which is so important and welcome, particularly where Young Adult literature is concerned. This is undertaken again and so expertly in this book. I will note, examples can’t be given for this without spoilers. You’ll need to read the book to know what I mean.
The plot itself was engaging. The idea of two teenage girls creating their own Hemsworth feels rather uninspired and lacking in potential. The comedy sections of Katie needing to hide Guy(which is what they name the Hemsworth clone) felt straight out of a Disney movie. I admit, 10 years ago me would have been all over that movie, and the scenes in the book itself were still fun and entertaining.
I didn’t expect a bad book, rather I expected a fun story without substance. It’s a silly premise that we’ve seen in similar ways before, it particularly makes me think of the film Big. However, Jenna manages to take the premise and use it to explore the pressures and stresses of teenage life in a fresh and nuanced way. The book excels at presenting characters in a relatable and evergreen way where it’s possible to read the book and see yourself in Katie’s shoes as she traverses her schooling and social life and the bumps that come along the way.
I highly recommend the book especially for those in the teen to young adult demographic.