Book review by Corey
Dating Sarah Cooper
Dating Sarah Cooper follows two best friends who have always been close enough for everyone around them to assume they are already a couple. When that assumption starts affecting their lives, they decide to play along and pretend to date, but the joke gets a lot more complicated once real feelings start getting mixed in.
The book is light, funny, and very focused on the friendship underneath the romance. What makes it work is how natural Sarah and Katie feel together, because the relationship grows out of years of knowing each other rather than instant attraction. It is a sweet lesbian coming-of-age story with enough awkwardness and emotional confusion to keep it from feeling too simple.
The Goods
- Strong friends-to-lovers setup
- Sweet lesbian romance
- Good chemistry between the leads
- Funny and easy to read
- The friendship feels believable
The Bads
- The plot is fairly simple
- Some misunderstandings feel avoidable
- A few side characters are lightly developed
- The conflict is predictable in places
- Not much tension outside the romance
My Recommendation
This is a really good choice for readers who like lesbian YA romance, friends-to-lovers stories, and books that are more sweet than dramatic. Sarah and Katie already have such a strong friendship that the romance feels natural when it starts to change, and the fake-dating setup gives the story plenty of fun without making it feel too over-the-top. If you enjoy LGBTQ+ coming-of-age stories with humour, awkward feelings, and a relationship built on genuine friendship, Dating Sarah Cooper is a very easy one to enjoy.