Seeking Jake Ryan (Dear Molly Book 1) by Jessica Bucher and M.F. Lorson {Review}

Seeking Jake Ryan (A Dear Molly Novel) by Jessica Bucher and M.F. Lorson

Kindle Edition, 204 pages

Published March 3rd 2020 

Source: Kindle Unlimited

 

       

 

An eighties girl in a modern world.

Sloane would rather curl up with a John Hughes movie than walk the halls of Grover High. However, all of that is about to change because on the first day of school she runs into none other than Mr. Sixteen Candles himself, Jake Ryan.

Okay, he's not really Jake Ryan, but Gabe has the khakis, sports car and trademark charm to fit the role.

Sloane hopes to pull a Molly Ringwald and win him over with her quirky sense of humor and even quirkier fashion sense, but what she doesn't know is that she and her seemingly untouchable celebrity crush have a lot more in common than they think.

Seeking Jake Ryan is the first in a series of romantic comedies centering around everybody's favorite eighties movies.

  

My Review: 4 Stars

 

I was a teen in the late 80s and just like most girls, had a thing for these John Hughes romances. Unless a reader is older (like me) or a huge 80s fan, I'm not sure if they'll get the references, but it's still a fun story and a great escape from what's going on in the world today.

 

The story opens with Sloane writing a letter to her teen idol, Molly Ringwald, but she seems to be a lot like Molly herself. With gorgeous red hair and an angsty, down-on-her-luck personality, a random first day of school meeting with the new high school heartthrob leaves her crushing on the one guy who is totally out of her reach. I love how dedicated Sloane is to her dreams, and especially love her intuitiveness when it comes to those around her and their thoughts and feelings.

 

Of course, Gabe is Jake Ryan reincarnated, right down to the last minute ending, but I wanted more build up with his character and the romantic chemistry. I expected more from Gabe and he fell a little flat for me, while still staying true to Jake Ryan, if that makes sense. I grew up and I expected Jake to grow up as well, and Gabe just wasn't as mature as I wanted him to be.

 

I loved how this story was modernized, while still pulling in the 80s allusions, throwing me back to a happy and simpler time of life. There's humor, swoon, teenage apprehension, growth, and more in this fun start to a new series, and I'll definitely be checking out the others as they release.

 

Content: mild romance (some innuendo, party scene, kissing)