The Boyfriend App

Gr 8 Up—Audrey McCarthy's tech-savvy and humorous voice carries readers through the improbable events of her senior year. Ever since her father died, money has been tight, and winning the $200,000 scholarship offered by Public Corporation for the most popular app would mean that she could afford college. Audrey builds the Boyfriend App, which uses information from questionnaires to send a phone message when a user comes within 100 yards of a "perfect match". After Audrey's cousin tweets the surprising results of her successful match to thousands of followers of her fashion blog, one message is retweeted by Public's spokesperson and teen pop star, Danny Beaton. The Boyfriend App soars temporarily before a swift decline from failed matches. Then Audrey investigates a strange buzzing from her buyPhone and hacks into Public's site. She learns that the company has installed secret software that emits sounds that stimulate feel-good hormones when teens come near a Public store or download music from buyJams, causing them to purchase more. Adapting this "falling in love" phenomenon, Audrey launches the Boyfriend App 2.0, with instant success. When she successfully deploys it against Beaton during a concert, his kiss wins her the contest. Unfortunately, Public threatens to ruin Audrey if she reveals the truth. With the help of some powerful allies, the teen not only gets to college without Public's money, but also finds romance with an app. Underneath unlikely plot developments lie some serious questions about personal relationships and corporate power, but they never overburden the story's lighter and humorous moments. This fast-paced, clever romance with a smart, likable narrator should find a place in most libraries.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato